Police Cautions: Crimes of Violence

Philip Hollobone: To ask the Solicitor-General what proportion of serious violent crimes were disposed of by means of police caution rather than a court appearance in  (a) Northamptonshire and  (b) England in the last three years for which figures are available.

Claire Ward: I have been asked to reply.
	Information showing the number of offenders cautioned and defendants proceeded against at magistrates courts for serious violent offences in Northamptonshire and England from 2005-07 (latest available) is shown in the following table. Data for 2008 are due to be available towards the end of 2009.
	
		
			  Number of offenders cautioned( 1)  and defendants proceeded against at magistrates courts for serious violent offences( 2) , in Northamptonshire and England, 2005-07( 3, 4) 
			   2005  2006  2007 
			   Cautioned  Proceeded against  Number cautioned as a percentage of those cautioned or proceeded against  Cautioned  Proceeded against  Number cautioned as a percentage of those cautioned or proceeded against  Cautioned  Proceeded against  Number cautioned as a percentage of those cautioned or proceeded against 
			 Northamptonshire 20 (5)172 (5)— 32 (5)121 (5)— 27 (5)56 (5)— 
			 England 911 11,233 8 875 10,721 8 666 10,496 6 
			 (1) From 1 June 2000, the Crime and Disorder Act 1998 came into force nationally and removed the use of cautions for persons under 18 and replaced them with reprimands and warnings. These figures have been included in the totals. (2) Covers the following: Homicide and child destruction Causing death by dangerous driving Attempted murder Wounding or inflicting grievous bodily harm without intent Racially aggravated wounding or inflicting grievous bodily harm Causing death by aggravated vehicle taking (3) The statistics relate to persons for whom these offences were the principal offences for which they were dealt with. When a defendant has been found guilty of two or more offences, the principal offence is the offence for which the heaviest penalty is imposed. Where the same disposal is imposed for two or more offences, the offence selected is the offence for which the statutory maximum penalty is the most severe. (4) Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used. (5) The number of defendants proceeded against for Northamptonshire reflects the data received from the magistrates courts. However, during the period covered by the table, there were data quality issues. Hence, it would be unwise to place much credence in the drop of prosecutions over time and thus in the increase in the percentage cautioned if derived.  Source: Evidence and Analysis Unit, Office for Criminal Justice Reform.

CLM: Finance

Kate Hoey: To ask the Minister for the Olympics for what reasons CLM was paid £60.2 million by the Olympic Delivery Authority in performance-related payments up to March 2009.

Tessa Jowell: As outlined in the Olympic Delivery Authority's (ODA) 2008-09 Annual Report, performance payments are payable to CLM for the achievement of pre-agreed key performance indicators for the delivery of programme milestones and cost targets.
	Payments to CLM during the financial year 2008-09 reflect the increase in scale of the project in the last year as construction activity increased, and the strong progress being made as the project remains on track and within budget.
	The ODA, working with CLM, achieved significant savings of £390 million in the last year. The savings derive primarily from reduction in scope and value engineering changes, procurement savings, inflation and VAT savings, and have been applied to cost pressures as they have arisen. In particular, they have been used to help fund the Olympic Village and ensuring that the programme overall can be delivered within budget.
	CLM's contract is heavily incentivised and payment to them is dependent on meeting strict performance measures tied to delivering on time, to budget and to a high standard.

Departmental Advertising

Pete Wishart: To ask the Minister for the Olympics how much  (a) her Office and  (b) the Government Olympic Executive spent on newspaper advertising by publication in the latest year for which figures are available.

Tessa Jowell: In 2008-09, the amounts spent on newspaper advertising were as follows:
	Private office of the Minister for the Olympics—Nil.
	Government Olympic Executive—£16,210.44 (comprising payments of £5,551.96 to the Central Office of Information; and £10,658.48 to Sports Recruitment International for advertisements in the Guardian and Timesonline). All advertising expenditure by the Government Olympic Executive was for recruitment purposes.

Olympic Delivery Authority: Pay

Bob Spink: To ask the Minister for the Olympics how much was paid in bonuses to  (a) directors,  (b) senior managers,  (c) specialist and delivery managers and  (d) executive support and administration staff in the Olympic Delivery Authority in the last 24 months.

Tessa Jowell: Staff are broken into pay bands across the Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA). Details of performance related pay (PRP) payments in each pay band for the year ended 31 March 2009 are set out in the following table:
	
		
			  Pay band  Employee type  Numbers of employees  Total PRP paid( 1)  (£)  Average PRP payment (£) 
			 1 Projects/Administrative support 54 82,937 1,535 
			 2 Executives/Officers 39 134,746 3,455 
			 3 Managers/Technical professionals 77 686,708 8,918 
			 4 Heads of function 28 514,882 18,389 
			 5 Directors 7 282,629 40,375 
			 6 CEO 1 (2)104,783 104,783 
			  Total 206 1,806,685 8,770 
			 (1) Excluding national insurance.  (2) Actual bonus agreed by the Remuneration Committee was £209,566. The CEO voluntarily deferred half that amount. 
		
	
	The equivalent figure for the year ended 31 March 2008 is approximately £1.7 million. A breakdown into pay bands for that year appears in the following table:
	
		
			  Pay band  Employee type  Numbers of employees  Total PRP paid1 (£)  Average PRP payment (£) 
			 1 Projects/Administrative support 45 69,468 1,544 
			 2 Executives/Officers 27 76,038 2,816 
			 3 Managers/Technical professionals 66 553,602 8,388 
			 4 Heads of function 26 487,246 18,740 
			 5 Directors 7 316,457 45,208 
			 6 CEO 1 204,930 204,930 
			  Total 172 1,707,741 9,929 
			  Note:  Excluding national insurance.

Olympic Delivery Authority: Pay

Kate Hoey: To ask the Minister for the Olympics for what reasons the Chief Executive of the Olympic Delivery Authority was awarded a bonus of £209,000 in respect of 2008-09; and whose agreement was sought before the bonus was awarded.

Tessa Jowell: The chief executive of the Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA), David Higgins, has a performance-based pay element within his contract agreed by the Minister for the Olympic and Paralympic Games. This is linked to delivery on time and within budget. The basis of performance pay is agreed by DCMS and the level is determined by the remuneration committee of the ODA Board.
	The ODA's Annual Report and Accounts for 2008-09, copies of which have been placed in the House Library, records the progress in 2008-09, this records significant achievements including:
	keeping the programme on track and on budget;
	delivering the first venue, Weymouth and Portland National Sailing Academy in November 2008, on time and within budget;
	delivering the £288 million Power Lines Undergrounding Project in December 2008 on time and on budget;
	starting work on the Main Stadium, the Aquatics Centre and the Velodrome ahead of schedule; and
	meeting challenging cost and health and safety targets.
	On the basis of his contract the remuneration committee determined that a performance related payment of £209,566 was the appropriate amount to recognise the chief executive's performance, However, Mr. Higgins said, in July, that he had voluntarily agreed to defer half of his performance-based pay until 2012, subject to the satisfactory delivery of the current programme and scope, within the maximum available funding agreed by the Minister.
	As John Armitt, Chair of the ODA said "None of our progress over the year would have been possible without the hard work of the team at the ODA led by David Higgins".

Olympic Delivery Authority: Pay

Kate Hoey: To ask the Minister for the Olympics if she will make it her policy that the expense claims of the Chief Executive of the Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA) be itemised on the ODA's website.

Tessa Jowell: A summary of expenses for the Olympic Delivery Authority chairman, chief executive, board members and directors is available on the London 2012 website. The summary is itemised for hotel, entertainment and other costs.

Olympic Games 2012: Paralympic Games 2012

Hugh Robertson: To ask the Minister for the Olympics how much funding under which budgetary headings will be allocated under the programme delivery budget for the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

Tessa Jowell: holding answer 6 July 2009
	Of the public sector budget of £9.325 billion:
	£8.099 billion, including contingency of up to £1.972 billion, is available to the Olympic Delivery Authority for the venues and infrastructure construction programme;
	£290 million has been invested in maximising the benefit to elite and community sport of hosting the 2012 games;
	£66 million is the Government's planned contribution to the cost of hosting the Paralympic games;
	£32 million has been allocated to the Look programme;
	£838 million, including £238m contingency, has been allocated to Security.
	I refer the hon. Member to the January 2008 and January 2009 Annual Reports on the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic games and to the Quarterly Economic Reports on the Games published in May and July 2009, all of which contain more detailed information.

Olympic Games 2012: Plants

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Minister for the Olympics what measures she has introduced to ensure that the provision of  (a) plants,  (b) trees and  (c) shrubs for the London 2012 Olympics have a low environmental impact.

Tessa Jowell: All contracts for the supply of plants are let in accordance with the Olympic Delivery Authority's (ODA) Sustainability Strategy which, among other things, sets standards for minimising energy, waste and water use, and includes transport miles.
	As many of the trees, shrubs, herbaceous plants and seed as possible are specified in contract documents to be of British origin for ecological reasons. This is in order to meet the Olympic Biodiversity Action Plan targets for Games and Transformation as well as reducing transport and energy input. Peat-free composts are also specified in all the ODA's contracts for plant supply.
	The ODA is also installing an irrigation system to ensure the establishment of all planting. It will use a non-potable water supply, designed to reduce water demand.
	Advanced plant procurement has secured approximately 2,000 semi mature trees from a UK nursery. The contract has also been let for the advanced procurement of approximately 240,000 wetland plants from a UK supplier. Current work is ongoing to secure advanced growing of herbaceous plants for 2012 Gardens. Clauses included in the plant procurement contracts require certain environmental standards to be met for nursery stock production and supply of stock.

Drinking Water

Cheryl Gillan: To ask the hon. Member for North Devon, representing the House of Commons Commission what expenditure the House of Commons Commission incurred in commissioning the report on carbon comparison of water provision options for the House's committee rooms.

Nick Harvey: The cost of the report "A carbon comparison of water provision options for the House of Commons committee rooms" was £7,000.

East of England Regional Grand Committee

Bob Spink: To ask the hon. Member for North Devon, representing the House of Commons Commission what expenditure under what budgetary heading was incurred in respect of the East of England Regional Grand Committee meeting of 8 September 2009.

Nick Harvey: The identifiable expenditure incurred in respect of the East of England Regional Grand Committee meeting of 8 September 2009 is expected to amount to around £1,600. The budgetary headings are travel and subsistence expenses for staff from the Department of Chamber and Committee Services (clerks, Doorkeepers,  Hansard sub-editors) and the provision of sound equipment by the House's contractors Ubiqus UK Ltd. (Westminster Sound Systems).

Members: Email

Nick Hurd: To ask the hon. Member for North Devon, representing the House of Commons Commission pursuant to the answer to the right hon. Member for Horsham of 24 April 2009,  Official Report, column 948W, on Members: email, what the cost is of the encryption software recommended by Parliamentary Information and Communication Technology service.

Nick Harvey: The cost of the software per user is £63 excluding VAT.

Outreach Officers: Manpower

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the hon. Member for North Devon, representing the House of Commons Commission how many outreach officers the House employs; and what cost in 2008-09.

Nick Harvey: The Parliamentary Outreach service currently employs eight outreach staff, six of whom are regional outreach officers. The regional outreach officers work mainly with community and voluntary groups and in the museums libraries and archives sector. They also support select committees.
	Parliament's Education Service employs four educational outreach officers, who work in schools and train and support teachers in the delivery of the political literacy element of the citizenship curriculum and the politics curriculum.
	Both these services are bicameral, the House of Lords paying for 30 per cent. of the costs. Current annual staff costs, including pension and national insurance contributions, as at July 2009, are as follows:
	
		
			  Annual cost of outreach, as at July 2009 
			  £ 
			   Total cost  House of Commons share 
			 Parliamentary Outreach 351,557 246,089 
			 Educational outreach 182,702 127,891 
			 Total 533,259 373,980

Electoral Commission: Publicity

Justine Greening: To ask the hon. Member for South West Devon, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission how much the Electoral Commission spent on  (a) television,  (b) radio and  (c) poster advertisements promoting (i) voting and (ii) voter registration in the period up to the (A) 2005 general election and (B) 2009 elections to the European Parliament.

Gary Streeter: The Electoral Commission informs me that it ran public information campaigns for both elections. Each campaign comprised two phases, the first to provide information on registration, the second on voting.
	Expenditure on buying advertising for the 2005 general election campaign was as follows (figures rounded to the nearest thousand):
	
		
			  £ 
			   Registration phase  Voting phase 
			 Television 1,361,000 1,915,000 
			 Radio 21,000 811,000 
			 Posters 0 25,000 
		
	
	The Commission spent a further £496,000 on producing advertising for this campaign.
	The Commission's expenditure on buying advertising for the 2009 elections to the European Parliament was as follows (figures rounded to the nearest thousand):
	
		
			  £ 
			   Registration phase  Voting phase 
			 Television 1,249,000 16,000 
			 Radio 395,000 164,000 
			 Posters 84,000 0 
		
	
	The Commission spent a further £533,000 on producing advertising for this campaign.

Electoral Commission: Publicity

Justine Greening: To ask the hon. Member for South West Devon, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission how much the Electoral Commission plans to spend on  (a) encouraging voter registration and  (b) encouraging voting through (i) television, (ii) radio and (iii) poster advertisements in advance of the next general election.

Gary Streeter: The Electoral Commission informs me that it currently plans to spend approximately £2.2 million on advertising for its campaign in advance of the next general election. It is not yet possible to break down this expenditure in the way requested as this will depend on when an election takes place and on the amount of notice given of an election.

Voting Behaviour

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the hon. Member for South West Devon, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission what recent assessment the Electoral Commission has made of voting behaviour at elections.

Gary Streeter: The Electoral Commission informs me that it considers voter turnout and the take up of postal voting at elections as part of its annual election reports. However, it makes no assessment of voter intentions or behaviour in terms of support for political parties.
	The Commission will publish its reports on the 2009 European parliamentary elections and local elections in England in October 2009. Reports on previous elections are available on the Commission's website:
	www.electoralcommission.org.uk

Departmental Responsibility

Stephen Crabb: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland for which non-departmental public bodies and executive agencies he will continue to have responsibility in circumstances in which responsibility for policing is devolved to the Northern Ireland Assembly.

Shaun Woodward: Those public bodies and their status which will be retained by the NIO at the point of devolution are as set out in the following table. While it is anticipated that parading will not devolve immediately, its future will be determined by the outcome of the Strategic Review of Parades chaired by Lord Ashdown.
	
		
			  Body  Status 
			 Crown Solicitor's Office Legal Office 
			 Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission Executive NDPB 
			 Boundary Commission for Northern Ireland Advisory NDPB 
			 Sentence Review Commissioners Independent Office Holders 
			 Remission of Sentences  Act Commissioners Independent Office Holders 
			 The Chief Electoral Officer Independent Office Holder 
			 The Civil Service Commissioners Independent Office Holder 
			 Independent Monitoring Commission International Body 
			 Independent International Commission on Decommissioning International Body 
			 Bloody Sunday Inquiry Inquiry 
			 Hamill Inquiry Inquiry 
			 Wright Inquiry Inquiry 
			 Nelson Inquiry Inquiry 
			 Office of the Surveillance Commissioner Misc 
			 Parades Commission Executive NDPB 
			 Reviewer of police and military powers under the Justice and Security (Northern Ireland)  Act 2007 Independent Office Holder (NB Not yet appointed) 
			 Independent Commission for the Location of Victims' Remains International Body

Departmental Training

John Mason: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many external training courses were attended by staff of his Department in the last 12 months; and what the cost was of each course.

Paul Goggins: The following table details external training courses attended by staff in the Northern Ireland Office in the last 12 months; and the associated cost for each course:
	
		
			  External training courses attended in 2008-09 
			  External course  Cost (£) 
			 Accelerated SQL Server 2005 439 
			 Acrobat Introduction 185 
			 Advanced SAP System Monitoring—ADM106 1,800 
			 Advanced Writing 775 
			 Advocacy Course 1,100 
			 AEP Net Technical Training 5,200 
			 Analysis and Use of Evidence for Senior Managers 895 
			 Anti Money Laundering 70 
			 Basic Consultation Processes 305 
			 Business Case Appraisal 900 
			 CCTV User Group Seminar (x2 Staff) 938 
			 CIPD 119 
			 Civil Contingencies 411 
			 Civil Procedure in the County Court 70 
			 Communications and Marketing 500 
			 CommVault v7 Training 2,373 
			 Concepts in Accreditation 1,800 
			 Contentious Costs 823 
			 Contracts of Employment 20 
			 Conveyance Workshop 70 
			 CPD Technical Update 60 
			 CPD Training 1,694 
			 Crypto Custodian Course 395 
			 Crystal Reports XI Level 1 439 
			 Current Developments in Administrative Law 374 
			 Customer Service Excellence 59 
			 Data Protection Certificate 2,330 
			 Deaf Awareness Training 500 
			 Dealing with Conflict in the Workplace 1,512 
			 Dealing with Negative Attitudes 228 
			 Deaths in Hospitals 80 
			 Delivering Project Excellence Seminar 80 
			 Dell San Course Combo 8,000 
			 Developing Applications using Visual Basic 396 
			 Developing Future Managers 1,200 
			 Disability Discrimination 20 
			 Dods Parliamentary Communications 454 
			 Drafting Statutory Instruments 865 
			 Effective Briefing 1,365 
			 Effective Manager 1 1,725 
			 Effective Ministerial Correspondence 755 
			 Effective Presentations for Senior Managers 1,620 
			 Effective Speech Writing 1,350 
			 Effective Writing 1,550 
			 Effectively Tackle Reoffending 811 
			 Employment Law in NI 70 
			 Equality Law Update 907 
			 Essential Media Skills 825 
			 Ethical Hacking and Penetration Testing 1,680 
			 Executive PA Conference 2,026 
			 Finance for Non-Financial Managers 1,414 
			 First Aid Course 190 
			 Gateway Review Team Member to Leader Workshop 400 
			 Health and Safety 200 
			 Helpdesk phone system course 550 
			 High Court Litigation Seminar 60 
			 How can we most effectively tackle reoffending 276 
			 How Parliament Works 530 
			 IFRS Prepare the shadow accounts 1,840 
			 Immigration Law in Northern Ireland 375 
			 Impact Assessment—Equality/Diversity in Policy Making and Service Delivery 440 
			 Implementing the Taylor Reforms 734 
			 Industrial Tribunal Case Law 40 
			 Institute of Internal Auditors—MIIA Advanced Case Study Paper 4 1,069 
			 Institute of Internal Auditors—MIIA revision workshop 588 
			 Introduction to Audit 450 
			 Introduction to Central Gov Finance 475 
			 Introduction to Civil Protection 1,137 
			 Introduction to Infosec 2,725 
			 Introduction to Project Management 430 
			 ISEB Foundation Certificate in Software Testing 1,752 
			 IT Training 382 
			 ITIL Foundation Course 1,590 
			 ITIL Practitioner in Service Level Management 1,100 
			 Land Law Reform Project 65 
			 Lateral Thinking 156 
			 Leadership and Team Building 293 
			 Leadership Challenges for Women in Middle Management 1,145 
			 Leadership Presence 1,395 
			 Legal Professional Training 494 
			 Legal Research On-Line Workshop 140 
			 Libel and Defamation 70 
			 M2261 Course 1,191 
			 M2261 Win XP Ops System 857 
			 M2262 Course 891 
			 M2262 Win XP Ops System 569 
			 M2273 Managing and Maintaining MS Windows Server 876 
			 M2279 Planning, Implementing and Maintaining MS Server Active Directory 876 
			 M2543 Core Web App Tech with M/S Visual Studio 876 
			 M2547 Adv Windows Forms with MS Visual Studio 796 
			 M2667 Intro to Programming 597 
			 M2780 Maintaining MS SQL Server 2005 DB 3,104 
			 M5047 Implementing and Managing MS Exchange 2007 1,752 
			 Major Trauma and Drug Abuse 20 
			 Management of Risk 1,940 
			 Managing Operational Contracts 695 
			 Managing Successful Programmes Foundation 960 
			 Managing the passage of legislation 430 
			 Managing time 410 
			 Manual Handling Instructors' and Assessors' 1,029 
			 Mental Health Law 315 
			 Mental Health Law and Offender Patients 210 
			 Microsoft Word 100 
			 MIIA Distance learning study course 368 
			 Mind Mapping 1,366 
			 Minute Taking Course 1,330 
			 Mortgage Fraud 90 
			 Mortgage Repossessions 70 
			 MS Access 592 
			 MS Excel 200 
			 MS Excel Intermediate 200 
			 MS Project introduction 412 
			 MS Word 100 
			 MSE2K7 Exchange 2007 Accelerated Workshop 876 
			 New Standards New Challenges 95 
			 ORACLE database 10g administration workshop 2 2,321 
			 Overview of Legislation 315 
			 Parliament Government and the Civil Service 2,500 
			 Parliamentary Questions 430 
			 Personal Development for Disabled People 3,510 
			 Personal Injury Litigation 90 
			 PFI on-depth 224 
			 Piloting your Bill through Parliament 240 
			 Policing, Partnership and Accountability 1,102 
			 Policy, Management and Research in the Historic House Sector 51 
			 Political Intelligence 450 
			 Practice and Procedure in the County Court 70 
			 Preparing Business Cases 1,550 
			 Preparing for an Industrial Tribunal 394 
			 Pre-retirement Course 430 
			 Presentation and Communication Skills 1,200 
			 Presentation Skills 300 
			 Presuming to Interpret 110 
			 Preventing Violent Extremism 217 
			 PRINCE2 755 
			 PRINCE2 Foundation 3,475 
			 Prince2 Managing Successful Projects 1,095 
			 PRINCE2 Practitioner 2,740 
			 PRINCE2 Re-Accreditation 1,657 
			 Programme Management for Fast Stream 795 
			 Programme Management Overview 905 
			 Project Leadership 454 
			 Project Management Survival Guide 2,611 
			 Records Management Diploma 3,768 
			 Resource Budgeting 518 
			 Resource Budgeting Estimates to Accounts 900 
			 Risk Management 834 
			 SCS Base camp 2,000 
			 SDI Service Desk Analyst Course 5,391 
			 Shared experience from triggers 1 and 2 173 
			 Sign Language Taster 150 
			 Six Thinking Hats 902 
			 Special Investigators Group 61 
			 Stakeholder Engagement 1,720 
			 Stress Recognition and Management 65 
			 Sustainable development for decision makers 398 
			 Tackling Difficult HR Issues 403 
			 Thinking On Your Feet 385 
			 Time Management 1,175 
			 Transforming NI 398 
			 Understanding NI Assembly 890 
			 Visio 390 
			 Visual Basic VB.Net Course 2,250 
			 VM Ware Install and Configure Course 9,464 
			 Workshop on Civil Recovery Orders 344 
			 Writing Dynamics 6,776

Departmental Travel

Justine Greening: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much his Department spent on  (a) car hire,  (b) air travel,  (c) hotels and  (d) restaurant meals for (i) Ministers and (ii) staff in his Department in each of the last five years.

Paul Goggins: The following table shows how much the Northern Ireland Office, including the Public Prosecution Service Northern Ireland, and excluding its agencies and NDPBs has spent on  (a) car hire,  (b) air travel  (c) hotels and  (d) restaurant meals for (i) Ministers and (ii) staff in his Department in each of the last five years.
	All spending on official entertainment is made in accordance with HM Treasury's "Managing Public Money".
	
		
			  Thousand 
			2004-05  2005-06  2006-07  2007-08  2008-09 
			 Car Hire(1) Ministers 0 10 8 7 3 
			  NIO Staff 70 63 42 67 70 
			
			 Air Travel(2) Ministers 573 562 637 535 751 
			  NIO Staff 1,047 1,073 1,107 977 750 
			
			 Hotels(3) Ministers (4)— (4)— (4)— 2 6 
			  NIO Staff (4)— (4)— (4)— 201 199 
			
			 Restaurant meals(5) Ministers (6)— (6)— (6)— (6)— (6)— 
			  NIO Staff (6)— (6)— (6)— (6)— (6)— 
			 (1) There may also be car hire costs within other expenditure codes including general travel. To extract these costs, and verify that they are related to car hire, would exceed the disproportionate cost threshold of £750. (2) Travel by Ministers and civil servants is undertaken in accordance with the Ministerial Code and the Civil Service Management Code respectively. (3) Up until 2006-07, hotel expenditure was included within night subsistence costs. To extract only hotel costs in these years would exceed the disproportionate cost threshold of £750. (4) Figures not available prior to 2007-08. (5) Expenditure on restaurant meals is included within subsistence or hospitality expenditure. To extract only restaurant meal costs would exceed the disproportionate cost threshold of £750. (6) Figures not available.

Cabinet Committees: Data Protection

Dai Davies: To ask the Prime Minister pursuant to chapter 1, paragraph 42 of Building Britain's future, Cm 7654, what steps he plans to take to strengthen the protection given to the records of Cabinet committees.

Gordon Brown: The details of the proposed changes to legislation as set out in Building Britain's Future (Cm7654) will be included in the Government's response to the Review of the 30-Year Rule. The Government response will be published in due course.

Defence: Procurement

Gerald Howarth: To ask the Prime Minister whether his Office has received a copy of the report prepared by Bernard Gray on the Ministry of Defence's equipment programme.

Gordon Brown: I refer the hon. Member to the answer to the right hon. Member for Witney (Mr. Cameron) on 15 July 2009,  Official Report, column 286.

Domestic Visits

Menzies Campbell: To ask the Prime Minister when he next plans to visit  (a) the Royal Centre for Defence Medicine's clinical facilities at Selly Oak and  (b) the Defence Medical Rehabilitation Centre, Headley Court.

Gordon Brown: I have visited members of the armed forces both in the United Kingdom and abroad, and have met injured personnel, in Selly Oak and other places, on these occasions. Visits to injured personnel and to hospitals are undertaken privately.

Legislation

David Amess: To ask the Prime Minister 
	(1)  which proposals announced during his speech to the 2009 Labour Party Conference will require  (a) primary and  (b) secondary legislation to implement; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  which of the proposals announced during his speech to the 2009 Labour Party Conference have previously been announced by the Government  (a) in full and  (b) in part, giving the date in each case; and if he will make a statement.

Gordon Brown: The Government will set out its proposals for legislation in the next session in the Queen's speech. The speech is a matter of public record.

Lockerbie: Bombings

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Prime Minister pursuant to the answer to the right hon. Member for Richmond, Yorks., of 9 September 2009,  Official Report, column 1897W, on Libya, if he will place in the Library a copy of his letter to Colonel Gaddafi of Libya, delivered by the then Foreign Office Minister, the hon. Member for Harlow, during his visit to Tripoli in February 2009; and whether he had a meeting with Colonel Gaddafi at the recent UN General Assembly meeting.

Gordon Brown: A copy of the letter has been placed in the Libraries of the House. The letter covered a range of African policy issues which were appropriate and relevant in the light of Colonel Gaddafi's election as chair of the African Union. It did not cover the issue of Abdelbaset Ali al-Megrahi's release. I did not meet Colonel Gaddafi at the UN General Assembly meeting.

Official Gifts

John Hayes: To ask the Prime Minister what use has been made, and by whom, of wine held by Ministers as part of the Donated Asset Reserve in the last 12 months.

Gordon Brown: I refer the hon. Member to the annual list of gifts received by Ministers in an official capacity valued at more than £140 which has been published since 2001. Copies of the lists are available in the Libraries of the House.

Social Care Green Paper

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Prime Minister with reference to his foreword to the Social Care Green Paper, Cm 7673, in what ways the debate he calls differs from that he called for in his Kings Fund speech of May 2008.

Gordon Brown: "The case for change—why England needs a new care and support system", published in May 2008, set out the Government's intention to reform care and support services and was followed by a six-month period of public engagement to help raise awareness of care and support issues and to gather opinions on the best way to proceed with the reform agenda.
	This year's Green Paper, "Shaping the Future of Care Together", published in July, is the response to that period of public engagement. It sets out specific options and proposals for a National Care Service, on which debate shall now ensue.

Departmental Manpower

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many staff there were in  (a) his Department's predecessor in 1997 and  (b) his Department on the latest date for which figures are available.

Ann McKechin: The Scotland Office was established on 1 July 1999. Therefore, there was no predecessor in 1997.
	The latest staffing levels for the Scotland Office are published in the Office's Annual Report for 2009, a copy of which is available on the Scotland Office website. To view this Report please see the following link:
	http://www.scotlandoffice.gov.uk/scotlandoffice/files/SO%202009.pdf
	A correction to Annex 9 is also available via the following link:
	http://www.scotlandoffice.gov.uk/scotlandoffice/files/SO%202009%20ERRATUM%203.pdf

Departmental Recycling

Stewart Hosie: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what proportion of his Department's waste was recycled in the latest period for which figures are available.

Ann McKechin: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to the hon. Member for Reading, East (Mr. Wilson) on 31 March 2009,  Official Report, column 1029W.

Business: Government Assistance

Paul Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what schemes the Government have made available to assist businesses in Wales during the economic downturn.

Peter Hain: The UK Government have launched a number of initiatives designed to help UK businesses during the current economic downturn. These include the Enterprise Finance Guarantee Scheme, Capital for Enterprise Fund and the highly successful HMRC Time to Pay, which are all supporting Welsh businesses. So far, the HMRC has reached over 6,780 agreements with businesses in Wales, to spread more than £100 million in businesses taxes. More information on these schemes can be obtained from the BIS, Wales Office and Welsh Assembly Government websites.
	The European Investment Bank has also approved nearly £475 million of loans to small and medium sized enterprises across the UK.

Departmental Motor Vehicles

Andrew Stunell: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how much his Department spent on hire vehicles in each of the last five financial years.

Peter Hain: In the last five financial years, my Department's expenditure for car hire is broken down as:
	
		
			   Spend on car hire (£) 
			   Ministers  Staff 
			 2004-05 77,153.00 126.00 
			 2005-06 92,866.68 277.37 
			 2006-07 106,707.39 41.02 
			 2007-08 135,649.52 0 
			 2008-09 217,129.45 143.44 
		
	
	The increase in car hire for Ministers in 2008-09 came about because in previous years the Secretary of State's car was provided by the Northern Ireland Office and then the Department of Work and Pensions when he held dual responsibilities.

Departmental Postal Services

Michael Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how much his Department spent on Royal Mail services in each of the last two years.

Peter Hain: In the last two years my Department has spent the following using the services of Royal Mail:
	
		
			   £ 
			 2007-08 1,711 
			 2008-09 2,531

Departmental Recycling

Stewart Hosie: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what proportion of his Department's waste was recycled in the latest period for which figures are available.

Peter Hain: The last period for which figures are available covers January to March 2009. During this period, the Wales Office recycled 84 per cent. of its waste.

Departmental Travel

Justine Greening: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how much his Department spent on  (a) car hire,  (b) train travel,  (c) air travel,  (d) hotels and  (e) restaurant meals for (i) Ministers and (ii) staff in his Department in each of the last five years.

Peter Hain: In the last five financial years, my Department's expenditure for car hire, train travel and air travel is broken down as:
	
		
			  Spend (£) 
			   2004-05  2005-06  2006-07  2007-08  2008-09 
			  Car hire  
			 Ministers 77,153.00 92,866.68 106,707.39 135,649.52 217,129.45 
			 Staff 126.00 277.37 41.02 0 143.44 
			   
			  Train tickets  
			 Ministers 11,011.50 7,124.00 6,270.70 11,601.44 14,549.50 
			 Staff 69,951.60 102,599.83 90,371.00 113,758.51 155,685.00 
			   
			  Air fare  
			 Ministers 4,959.28 0 169.43 676.88 1,156.53 
			 Staff 15,108.30 211.67 9,577.03 1,491.29 2,792.56 
		
	
	The increase in car hire for Ministers in part of 2007-08 and 2008-09 came about because in previous years the Secretary of State's car was provided by the Northern Ireland Office and then the Department of Work and Pensions when he held dual responsibilities. Restaurant meals and hotel costs are not kept separately and could be obtained only at a disproportionate cost.

Equality and Human Rights Commission: Finance

Bob Neill: To ask the Minister for Women and Equality how much funding the Equality and Human Rights Commission has given to Traveller groups; on what dates; and for what purposes.

Maria Eagle: The following tables contain a full list of Traveller-related work, totalling £344,734, funded under the Equality and Human Rights Commission's Interim Grants Programme, which ran from 1 April 2008-31 March 2009.
	
		
			  Funding awarded to Traveller groups under the 2008-09 Interim Grants Programme 
			  Organisation  Outcome  Region/country  Amount (£) 
			 Friends, Families and Travellers To develop an environment where Gypsies and Travellers in West Sussex and east Hampshire have the confidence to participate actively in the life of the community. South East 39,817 
			 
			 Gypsy/Travel Education and Information Project North East (GTEIP) To support Gypsy/Traveller women and Gypsies/Travellers with disabilities to address barriers which prevent them accessing services and their capacity to live free and equal lives. (This will take the form of Action Research; both recording issues and experiences while supporting action on the issues.) Scotland 21,000 
			 
			 London Gypsy and Traveller Unit Improved and informed policy development and public profile of Gypsies and Travellers; to include their views and be based on fair and accurate information. London 39,927 
			 
			 S.P.A.R.C To improve Gypsies and Travellers access to health care provision and related services in Tees Valley, and reduce the significant health inequalities experienced by older people, children, women and those with mental health issues within these communities. North East 35,000 
			 
			 One Voice 4 Travellers Ltd. To provide support and advocacy for roadside Traveller women and children in Suffolk and Cambridgeshire by means of an outreach volunteering strategy. East Midlands 20,000 
		
	
	
		
			  Other funding awarded to deliver traveller-related work under the 2008-09 Interim Grants Programme 
			  Organisation  Outcome  Region/country  Amount (£) 
			 Bradford Community and Voluntary Service (BCVS) To enable Romany Gypsies and Irish Travellers to have equal access to services and to represent their own needs and concerns in order to participate in civic life in the District. Yorkshire and Humber 35,000 
			 
			 Pakistan Community Association and Multicultural Advice Centre Provide a study support service which allows young Roma people to achieve their full potential and integrate with other ethnic minorities in the area. Yorkshire and Humber 20,060 
			 
			 Save the Children UK To improve understanding of prejudice and diversity by marginalised young people(especially young Gypsy/Travellers) by holding workshops to promote and develop key skills. Scotland 39,930 
			 
			 The Race Equality Council for Gloucestershire 1. To facilitate access to public services for Migrant Workers informing them of services. South West 35,000 
			  2. To improve access to public services including creation of permanent sites for caravans for Travelling Community and better access to education for their children: improved relationship between travelling and settled community.   
			  3. To create opportunities for people of different cultures to meet and learn about each other by experiencing art, culture and music of different traditions: promote an appreciation of benefits of cultural diversity especially in Cheltenham area.   
			 
			 The Rural Media Company To work with local authority Planning and Diversity officers, and Gypsy, Roma and Traveller groups (GRT) (including women, children and the elderly) in the West Midlands bringing them together to develop a DVD Resource to address the racial discrimination issues in local communities around Traveller homelessness and lack of stopping sites. West Midlands 35,000 
			 
			 Black Training and Enterprise Group (BTEG) To develop the capacity of Gypsy and Traveller communities by providing training in project management and equality and Human Rights legislation to ensure these communities are able to participate more effectively in planning and other decision making contexts which effect their lives. — 14,000

Equality and Human Rights Commission: Finance

Bob Neill: To ask the Minister for Women and Equality what payments the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) has made to the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) since the EHRC's establishment; for what purposes and projects those payments were made; and whether it has commissioned the IPPR to undertake further work in the future.

Maria Eagle: The Equality and Human Rights Commission has made the following payments totalling £19,075 to the IPPR:
	
		
			  Payments to Institute of Public Policy Research 
			  Date  Purpose  Payment (£) 
			 29 October 2008 IPPR corporate subscription includes reports, publications and email alerts. November 2008 to October 2009. 150 
			 1 April 2008 Receipt of interim report on social housing allocation and immigrant communities. 10,000 
			 1 April 2008 Receipt of draft final report on social housing allocation and immigrant communities 8,925 
		
	
	The Commission has commissioned research to examine the allocation of social housing in England. The study is set in the context of increased international immigration to the UK and a reduction in social housing stock.
	The Commission currently has no plans to undertake further work with the IPPR.

Travelling People

Bob Neill: To ask the Minister for Women and Equality what research the Equality and Human Rights Commission has undertaken into Travellers.

Maria Eagle: The Equality and Human Rights Commission has undertaken the following research:
	(i) A review of the inequalities experienced by Gypsy and Traveller communities across the Commission's mandate and public services, building on the race focus of Common Ground published in 2006 by the Commission for Racial Equality.
	(ii) An assessment of local authorities' progress in meeting the accommodation needs of Gypsy and Traveller communities in England.
	Both pieces of research were published in March 2009 alongside the Commission's report, "Gypsies and Travellers: Simple solutions for living together", which highlights and promotes best practice.
	Similar research for Scotland will follow in the autumn.

Afghanistan: Detainees

Martin Linton: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to the US administration on the return of Shaker Aamer to the UK.

Ivan Lewis: We have sought the release and return of Shaker Aamer, a Saudi national formerly lawfully resident in the UK, from Guantanamo Bay since August 2007. The US has not so far agreed to his release and return to the UK in the light of security concerns in his case.
	We have made clear to both the current and previous US Administrations that our request for Mr. Aamer's release and return to the UK stands. My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary has reiterated this position to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. Other Ministers and senior officials across Government have raised Mr. Aamer's case with their counterparts in the US State Department, the Department of Defence, the Department of Justice and the National Security Council.

Afghanistan: Elections

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations the Government has made to the UN regarding the involvement of the government of Afghanistan in local state elections in that country.

Ivan Lewis: Over the past two years, the UK has been working alongside Afghanistan's Independent Election Commission (IEC), the UN Assistance Mission to Afghanistan (UNAMA), the UN Development Programme (UNDP) and the wider donor community to prepare the 2009-10 Afghan elections. This includes preparations for the Provincial Council elections, which will be held at the same time as the presidential elections on 20 August 2009.
	The Afghan Government, with the support of the international community, has a vital role to play in both ensuring adequate security for the elections and that the IEC is a functioning body, capable of ensuring effective organisation. The 2009 elections will be the first Afghan-led elections since the 1970s.
	UNAMA, through the UNDP, is co-ordinating international support through the ELECT project—to which the UK has given £16.5 million. ELECT aims to build up the capacity of the IEC to run the elections and to create a more cohesive and informed electoral process with as wide participation as possible. We work closely with the UN in Afghanistan and New York on preparations and have frequently played the lead role in raising and resolving issues of concern with the UN, the Afghan Government and international donors.
	International funding, both through ELECT and other projects, is supporting media exposure for candidates and civic education for voters, to explain the electoral process and to encourage them to vote. We are following the UN and IEC preparations closely, holding UNDP to account against the project's agreed outputs and pressing for additional action where necessary.
	More details on the ELECT project can be found at:
	http://www.undp.org.af/WhoWeAre/UNDPinAfghanistan/Projects/dcse/prj_elect.htm

Bangladesh: Human Rights

Lembit �pik: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with the Bangladeshi government on reports of violations of the human rights of the Jumma tribes in the Chittagong Hill Tracts.

Chris Bryant: The Government support the work of the Chittagong Hill Tract Commission in promoting respect for democracy, land rights and development in the Chittagong Hill Tracts in Bangladesh. Officials from our high commission in Dhaka met with the deputy commissioner in Rangamati in the Chittagong Hill Tracts in March 2009 to stress the importance of both implementation of the Chittagong Hill Tracts Peace Accord and respect for the human rights of the communities in the region. In August 2009, our high commissioner met members of the Chittagong Hill Tract Commission when they visited Bangladesh. Our high commission has offered funding in support of the commission's important work to address the rights of the indigenous peoples.

China: Human Rights

Michael Moore: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports he has received on the detention of Mr Liu Xiaobo by the Chinese authorities; what representations he has made to his Chinese counterpart on the case; and if he will make a statement.

Ivan Lewis: The EU Presidency issued a Declaration on 26 June 2009 expressing the EU's deep concern about the detention of Liu Xiaobo. The EU called for the end of the prosecution of Liu Xiaobo and his immediate release, referring to the Chinese Constitution's guarantee on the right of freedom of expression and in accordance with provisions of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights which China signed in 1998 (but has yet to ratify).
	We raised the case of Liu Xiaobo at the UK-China Human Rights Dialogue on 12-13 January 2009. The Chinese Delegation responded by saying his case was being dealt with by the Chinese courts. We also worked closely with our European partners to ensure this case was raised at the EU-China Human Rights Dialogue held on 14 May 2009 in Prague.
	We will continue to raise this issue at every appropriate opportunity.

Departmental Advertising

Pete Wishart: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much his Department spent on newspaper advertising carried in each newspaper in the most recent year for which figures are available.

Chris Bryant: Human Resources Directorate in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) have spent the following amounts on recruitment advertising during 2008-09.
	
		
			  Newspaper  Spend () 
			 Times 3,238.70 
			 Guardian 35,834.98 
			 Daily Telegraph 8,000.00 
			 Bicester Advertiser 2,437.71 
			 Milton Keynes Citizen 5,159.79 
			 Northampton Chronicle and Echo 5,927.47 
			 Oxford Mail 7,618.46 
			 Bucks Herald 6,264.11 
			 Evening Standard, Metro, London Lite 6,772.03 
			 Total 81,253.25 
		
	
	Consular Directorate in the FCO have spent the following amounts on advertising during 2008-09 as part of its ongoing Travel Safety campaign for British Nationals.
	
		
			  Newspaper  Spend () 
			 The Sun/News of the World 28,800 
			 The Voice and Weekly Gleaner newspapers 9,500 
			 New Nation and Eastern Eye newspapers 18,000 
			 Total 56,300 
		
	
	It is possible that other parts of the FCO have incurred expenditure on newspaper advertising. However, this information is not held centrally, and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.

Departmental Marketing

Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs with reference to the answer of 26 November 2008,  Official Report, column 1753-54W, on departmental marketing, what expenditure his Department incurred in departmental branding activity in 2008-09.

Chris Bryant: During the 2008-09 financial year, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) had no staff specifically employed on branding activity, although some parts of the FCO (for example Consular Directorate) undertake in-house branding activity on a continuing basis as part of their promotional campaigns.
	In addition, the Communication Directorate established a three-person team to review, consolidate and simplify all aspects of the FCO's corporate identity. This team engaged the services of a branding consultant, through the Central Office of Information under normal Government procurement rules, at a cost of 80,000 in the financial year. This work has resulted in new FCO corporate identity guidelines, which will enable the FCO in the UK and in posts around the world to save money by deploying standardised designs and systems.

Departmental Official Hospitality

Theresa Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs with reference to the answer of 11 March 2008,  Official Report, columns 326-27W, on departmental official hospitality, how much his Department spent on entertaining in 2008-09.

Chris Bryant: In 2008-09 the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) spent 7,951,558 on a wide range of activities from entertaining individuals, to dinner receptions for Ministers and high level visitors, and other events to establish and cultivate contacts. All are undertaken in pursuit of FCO objectives, both in the UK and in our posts overseas.
	This figure is made up of 7,544,672 in direct entertainment expenditure, which includes the costs of food, drink and sundries when official contacts are entertained either at an officer's home, mission residences or at an external venue, and 406,886 of Government hospitality expenditure, which is official hospitality at ministerial level across Whitehall.
	All entertainment expenditure, including that on hospitality, is incurred in accordance with the principles of Managing Public Money and HM Treasury handbook on Regularity and Propriety.

Departmental Recycling

Stewart Hosie: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what proportion of his Department's waste was recycled in the latest period for which figures are available.

Chris Bryant: During the latest period, 2008-09, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office recycled 59 per cent. of its waste on its UK estate. This compares to a figure of 48 per cent. for 2007-08.

Departmental Training

John Mason: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many external training courses were attended by staff of his Department in the last 12 months; and what the cost was of each course.

Chris Bryant: Human resources directorate sponsors three significant courses, which sit outside of the main Foreign and Commonwealth Office training framework. These are:
	 Open University Scheme:
	Programme timings May 2008-May 2009
	Approximately 130 persons enrolled
	3,000 cost per person
	390,000 approx total cost
	 Advanced Apprenticeships:
	56 persons enrolled
	A part of the Government Pathfinder Scheme which is fully funded by the Learning and Skills Council.
	 Chartered Institute of Personnel and DevelopmentHR related qualifications/yearly subscriptions:
	Number not centrally recorded.
	Other departments in London and posts overseas are likely to sponsor other external courses. However records are not held centrally so we cannot provide this information without incurring disproportionate cost.

Departmental Travel

Justine Greening: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much his Department spent on  (a) car hire,  (b) train travel,  (c) air travel,  (d) hotels and  (e) restaurant meals for (i) Ministers and (ii) staff in his Department in each of the last five years.

Chris Bryant: This information is not held centrally and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.
	Travel by Ministers and civil servants is undertaken in accordance with the Ministerial Code and the Civil Service Management Code respectively, and all spending on official entertainment is made in accordance with the principles set out in Managing Public Money.
	I also refer the hon. Member to the Cabinet Office annual list of overseas travel over 500 undertaken by Ministers. The 2008-09 list was published on 16 July 2009 and can be viewed at:
	http://www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/propriety_and_ethics/ministers/travel_gifts.aspx

Gibraltar: Territorial Waters

Andrew MacKinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs for what reasons the Government did not apply to join Gibraltar's action in the European Court of Justice regarding Spain's claim to Gibraltar's territorial waters until after the deadline for such applications; and if he will make a statement.

Chris Bryant: At the end of 2008 Spain put forward a Site of Community Importance (SCI) under the habitats directive which encompasses British Gibraltar Territorial Waters (BGTW). As the Commission only consulted each state bilaterally on the sites it put forward, the UK discussed only our own proposed sites (including two in Gibraltar) with the Commission. We therefore discovered the existence of the Spanish site in BGTW only after the complete list of sites across the EU was published in February 2009.
	The Government have however, within the time allowed, requested permission to intervene in support of the Government of Gibraltar legal case against the European Commission relating to a Site of Community Interest (SCI) proposed by Spain which overlaps with British Gibraltar Territorial Waters (BGTW) (case T-176/09). We await a response from the court to our request.
	The case does not concern a Spanish claim to BGTW. In fact the case involves an Article 230 application before the Court of First Instance by the Government of Gibraltar for annulment of Commission Decision 2009/95/EC, made under the habitats directive, to the extent that the listing of the Spanish SCI, Estrecho Oriental, includes British Gibraltar Territorial Waters (BGTW) and an area of the high seas beyond BGTW.

Iran: Bahai Faith

David Burrowes: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent representations he has made to the government of Iran on the detention of Iranian Bahai leaders in Evin prison in Tehran.

Ivan Lewis: We are extremely concerned that the seven leading members of the Iranian Bah'i community remain in detention, following their arrest in early 2008. Alongside our EU partners we have called repeatedly for the Iranian government to release the group and to allow independent observation of the judicial proceedings.
	In a statement to mark the one year anniversary of their arrest, my hon. Friend, the then Minister of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, (Bill Rammell), issued a press statement on 14 May 2009 calling for their release, and on 25 May 2009, the EU reiterated this message in a declaration, urging the Iranian government to reconsider the accusations against the leaders and to allow independent observation of the judicial proceedings.
	I met with representatives of the UK National Spiritual Association of the Bah'is on 2 July 2009, assuring them of our ongoing support, and my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister reinforced this message of support in a private meeting with the group on 15 July 2009.

Israel: Overseas Trade

Martin Linton: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent steps he has taken to ensure that Government departments and agencies do not make purchases from illegal Israeli settlements.

Ivan Lewis: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) does not have explicit policy precluding the purchase of goods emanating from the settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territories. However, in practice the FCO in London and FCO posts seek to avoid purchase of goods from settlements. A recent example of this is when our Embassy in Tel Aviv stopped negotiations to lease premises in Africa-Israel's Kirya Tower when the company was unable to give assurances that it and its subsidiaries were not involved in settlement construction or support for settler organisations.

Israel: Overseas Trade

Martin Linton: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps he is taking to discourage UK nationals from buying properties in illegal Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories.

Ivan Lewis: The UK's position has been consistently robustsettlements are illegal, they are clear violation of international law. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office's travel advice clearly outlines the UK position and that potential purchasers should be aware that a future peace deal between Israel and the Palestinians, or between Israel and Syria, could have consequences for property purchased in these settlements.

Linda Carty

Mark Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what contacts his Department's officials have had with  (a) Linda Carty and  (b) her legal team on her sentence.

Ivan Lewis: Since we became aware of Ms Carty's case in 2002 we have maintained regular contact with her and her legal team. Consular staff keep in touch with her by letter and telephone and make prison visits. We last spoke to Ms Carty on 9 September 2009 and visited on 25 June 2009.
	Consular staff maintain regular contact with Ms Carty's US legal representatives, whom we last met on 29 September 2009, and with the UK non-governmental organisation Reprieve, with whom we work closely on death penalty cases. We have also submitted two Amicus Curie briefs to the US courts in relation to the case, the first in May 2006 and the second on 4 May 2009.
	The Government are strongly opposed to the death penalty. We express our opposition to its use on British nationals at whatever stage and level is judged appropriate from the moment when the imposition of a death sentence becomes a possibility. We have made a number of representations to the US Government on this case concerning our view on the death penalty, and will continue to do so.

Niger: Politics and Government

Mark Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions his Department has had with the Government of Niger on that country's constitution relating to presidential term limits.

Ivan Lewis: The UK remains concerned about recent developments in Niger that threaten the democratisation process across the region. We are working with EU partners on how we can best contribute to restoring democracy and ensuring stability in Niger, and continue to lobby the regional body, the Economic Community of Western African States, which is leading the search for a peaceful solution, to agree a way forward, working with the African Union and the UN.

North Korea: Human Rights

Michael Moore: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent assessment he has made of the human rights situation in North Korea, with particular reference to the repatriation of North Korean refugees by China; and if he will make a statement.

Ivan Lewis: As set out in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office's (FCO) Annual Human Rights Report, the Government continues to be deeply concerned by the reports of serious, widespread, and systematic human rights violations in North Korea. We raise these issues with the North Korean authorities at every appropriate opportunity. However, the North Korean government refuses to engage. Our ambassador in Pyongyang raised our concerns with the Vice-Minister of Foreign Affairs and Speaker of the North Korean parliament in February 2009 during the visit to North Korea by Lord Alton and Baroness Cox. He emphasised the importance of dialogue on human rights and urged North Korea to accept a visit by the UN Special Rapporteur.
	The Government have also continued to look for opportunities to engage on the issue of North Korean refugees. We urge China to observe its obligations under the 1951 convention on the status of refugees and to allow the UN High Commissioner for Refugees access to the China-Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) border region. This subject was raised with the Chinese at the UK-China Human Rights Dialogue in January 2009. We urged China not to return those people crossing the border from DPRK to China. At our request, the issue of North Korean refugees was included in the UN Human Rights Council resolution on DPRK which was agreed on at the 10(th) session of the Human Rights Council which was concluded on 27 March 2009.

Occupied Territories: Housing

Martin Linton: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent representations he has made to the Israeli government on the expansion of settlements in the Occupied Golan Heights.

Ivan Lewis: The UK's position is clear on Israeli settlements in occupied territory: they are illegal, a clear violation of international law and an impediment to the peace process. We have made this frequently clear to Israeli government and will continue to do so.

Petar Sutovic

Greg Hands: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions his Department has had with the Serbian government on  (a) the death of Petar Sutovic in Belgrade in 2004 and  (b) the subsequent removal of his organs.

Chris Bryant: We have raised various aspects of the investigation into Petar Sutovic's death with the Serbian Government at the family's request and continue to make requests for information on behalf of the Walthamstow Coroner's Office which is conducting a second inquiry into Petar's death. We requested information from the Serbian Government regarding the removal of organs and we await a reply.

Security

David Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what expenditure his Department has incurred on engaging private security companies and private military companies for work undertaken in  (a) Iraq and  (b) Afghanistan in each of the last three years.

Chris Bryant: The total values of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office's contracts with private security companies in Iraq and Afghanistan in each of the last three years are as follows. We do not contract with private military companies.
	
		
			  Iraq 
			million 
			 2006-07 31.1 
			 2007-08 30.8 
			 2008-09 27.9 
		
	
	
		
			  Afghanistan 
			million 
			 2006-07 15.3 
			 2007-08 20.9 
			 2008-09 22.2 
		
	
	The figures above cover contracts put in place by London, and reflect in the main the contract values and not the expenditure. They also now include contract variations and have also been calendar year annualised. These contracts also cover Partners Across Government with the costs thereof being shared out accordingly.

Attendance Allowance

Michael Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much was paid in attendance allowance to residents of  (a) Hemel Hempstead constituency,  (b) Dacorum,  (c) Hertfordshire and  (d) England in (i) 1980, (ii) 1997, (iii) 2001, (iv) 2005 and (v) 2008.

Jonathan R Shaw: The available information is shown in the table.
	
		
			  Attendance allowance, expenditure: Cash terms 
			   million 
			   1980-81  1997-98  2001-02  2005-06  2008-09 
			 Hemel Hempstead  2.9 3.8 5.9 6.9 
			 Dacorum  4.2 5.4 8.2 9.6 
			 Hertfordshire  36.4 46.1 63.2 74.4 
			 England  2,073 2,566 3,200 3,929 
			  Notes:  1. Figures are expressed in  million and rounded to the nearest 100,000 for all areas except England which is rounded to the nearest 1 million.  2. Expenditure is in cash (nominal) terms.  3. Figures given for Hemel Hempstead represent the Hemel Hempstead parliamentary constituency.  4. Figures given for Dacorum represent Dacorum local authority.  5. Figures given for Hertfordshire represent the county of Hertfordshire which is made up of the following local authorities: Broxbourne, Dacorum, East Hertfordshire, Hertsmere, North Hertfordshire, St. Albans, Stevenage, Three Rivers, Watford, Welwyn Hatfield.  6. Expenditure for 1980 is not available for these areas.  7. Figures are consistent with benefit expenditure tables available on the DWP website through the following link: http://research.dwp.gov.uk/asd/asd4/expenditure.asp  Source: DWP statistical and accounting data.

Attendance Allowance

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for Health on proposals to abolish attendance allowance outlined in the recent Green Paper, Shaping the future of care together, in the last five months; and if she will make a statement.

Jonathan R Shaw: The Department of Health's Green Paper, Shaping the Future of Care Together, was a product of very close working between Government Ministers across a number of Departments, including the Secretary of State for Health and the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions.

Attendance Allowance: Birmingham

Roger Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much was paid in attendance allowance to residents of the Birmingham, Sparkbrook  Small Heath constituency in  (a) 2001,  (b) 2005 and  (c) 2008.

Jonathan R Shaw: The information is provided in the following table.
	
		
			  Total value of attendance allowance payments to people in the Birmingham Sparkbrook and Small Heath parliamentary constituency in 2001, 2005 and 2008 
			million (nominal terms) 
			 2001-02 5.3 
			 2005-06 6.9 
			 2008-09 7.9 
			  Notes: 1. Figures are consistent with budget 2009 expenditure forecast. 2. Benefit and expenditure and caseload information is available on the Department website at: http://reasearch.dwp.gov.uk/asd/asd4/medium_term.asp  Source: DWP Statistical and Accounting data

Carer's Allowance

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people have ceased to receive carers allowance due to the receipt of a  (a) pension and  (b) other income replacement benefit in (i) St Ives constituency, (ii) Cornwall and (iii) England in each of the last five years.

Jonathan R Shaw: The available information is in the following table:
	
		
			  Number of people who ceased to receive carer's allowance when they began claiming state pension or another income replacement benefit 
			  March to February each year  St. Ives parliamentary constituency  Cornwall unitary authority  England 
			 2004-05 20 100 7,410 
			 2005-06 20 150 7,740 
			 2006-07 30 170 9,120 
			 2007-08 40 180 10,020 
			 2008-09 30 160 10,140 
			  Notes: 1. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10. 2. Data shows those people who ceased receiving carer's allowance and began receiving state pension or another income replacement benefit in the same quarter but retained underlying entitlement.  Source: Information Directorate Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study

Carer's Allowance

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer of 16 July 2009,  Official Report, column 690W, on carer's allowance, if she will extend carer's allowance to include a costs-related element.

Jonathan R Shaw: There are no plans to extend carer's allowance to include a costs-related element.

Carer's Allowance

John Mason: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much her Department spent on the administration of carer's allowance in the last five years.

Jonathan R Shaw: The following table shows the administration costs for carer's allowance over the last five financial years.
	
		
			   Total () 
			 2004-05 18,703,511 
			 2005-06 19,765,641 
			 2006-07 20,189,552 
			 2007-08 18,881,544 
			 2008-09 15,912,162 
			  Notes: Total administration costs include: 1. Staff: including salaries, national insurance, superannuating, overtime costs and other payroll adjustments. 2. Non staff: including medical evidence costs, travel, subsistence, postage and general office expenses i.e. stationery. 3. Recharges: payments given to take account of additional costs incurred piloting changes to working practises.  Source: General ledgers (GL) and expenditure reports.

Children: Maintenance

Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many parents resident in Wales defaulted on child support payments in each of the last five years.

Helen Goodman: holding answer 14 September 2009
	The Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission is responsible for the child maintenance system. I have asked the Child Maintenance Commissioner to write to the hon. Member with the information requested and I have seen the response.
	 Letter from Stephen Geraghty:
	In reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about the Child Support Agency, the Secretary of State promised a substantive reply from the Child Maintenance Commissioner as the Child Support Agency is now the responsibility of the Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission.
	You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many parents resident in Wales defaulted on child support payments in each of the last five years.
	Information on the number of cases where the non-resident parent is not compliant and is living in Wales is provided in the attached table. This includes child maintenance cases held on both the current (CS2) and old (CSCS) computer systems and excludes cases administered clerically.
	Quarterly figures as at June 2009 show 73% of non-resident parents living in Wales are compliant with their child maintenance payments.
	I hope you find this answer helpful.
	
		
			  Number of non-compliant cases where the non-resident parent lives in Wales 
			  June each year  Cases where maintenance requested  Non-compliant cases  Percentage compliant 
			 2005 28,700 9,200 68 
			 2006 29,700 8,200 72 
			 2007 32,100 9,200 71 
			 2008 32,700 9,500 71 
			 2009 32,100 8,600 73 
			  Notes: 1. This table shows the number of cases that were charged money via the Agency's collection service over a three month period and the number of cases from which a payment was not received from over the same period. 2. Cases have been allocated to Wales by matching the residential postcode of the non-resident parent against the Office for National Statistics postcode directory. 3. Figures cover cases held on the CS2 and CSCS computer systems only and exclude the performance of cases administered clerically. 4. Volumes are rounded to the nearest hundred.

Departmental Electronic Equipment

Justine Greening: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many  (a) mobile telephones,  (b) Blackberrys and  (c) laptop computers have been issued to staff of her Department in each of the last five years; and how many of these were issued to (i) new staff and (ii) existing staff following (A) loss or (B) theft of a previous device.

Jim Knight: The information is not available in the format requested and could be provided only at disproportionate cost. The information that is available is provided in the following tables.
	
		
			   Numbers issued 
			  Devices  2006-07  2007-08  2008-09 
			 Mobile telephones n/a 2,583 4,810 
			 Blackberry devices n/a 363 536 
			 Laptop computers (1)8,224 (1)6,818 (1)8,848 
			 n/a = Not available. (1) Number of active laptop computers in issue at 31 March 2009. 
		
	
	The Department's records do not differentiate between items issued to new or existing staff, nor whether items were replaced as a result of loss, theft or other reasons. These details could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	The number of Blackberry devices which were replaced for any reason during 2007 and 2008 is as follows:
	
		
			   Number of devices replaced 
			 2007 22 
			 2008 11

Departmental Official Hospitality

Theresa Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer of 14 May 2009,  Official Report, column 909W, on departmental official hospitality, how much her Department spent on hospitality and entertainment in 2008-09.

Jim Knight: The 2008-09 accounts have now been published and the expenditure on hospitality can be confirmed as 116,652.
	All expenditure on entertainment (also known within the Department as hospitality) is made in accordance with published Departmental guidance on financial procedures and propriety, based on principles set out in Managing Public Money and the Treasury Handbook on Regularity and Propriety.

Departmental Pay

Justine Greening: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what employee reward schemes are offered to staff of her Department; what the purpose of each scheme is; how many staff participate in each scheme; and what the cost of operating each scheme was in each of the last five years.

Helen Goodman: There are two pay-related employee reward schemes operating in the Department for Work and Pensions. These are the end of year non-consolidated performance pay and special awards.
	 End of Year non-consolidated Performance Pay
	DWP employees below the Senior Civil Service are eligible for an annual individual non-consolidated performance payment if they attain a Top, Higher or Majority rating under the annual Performance and Development System. The payment awarded is determined by the employee's pay band and the performance level achieved.
	For the Senior Civil Service, end of year non-consolidated performance pay is determined by the relevant DWP SCS Pay Committee, in line with recommendations by the independent Senior Salaries Review Body.
	(1) Performance awards from the year 2008-09 were payable in July of the financial year 2009-10. A total of 21.81 million has been paid. This is broken down as follows:
	
		
			  Table 1: Department total 
			  Financial year  Total number of recipients  Total paid ( million) 
			 2005-06 123,825 42.82 
			 2006-07 116,096 40.68 
			 2007-08(1) 111,943 36.61 
			 2008-09 107,726 23.32 
			 2009-10 109,334 21.81 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 2: Total below SCS 
			  Financial year  Total number of recipients  Total paid ( million) 
			 2005-06 123,620 41.43 
			 2006-07 115,896 39.01 
			 2007-08 111,741 34.88 
			 2008-09 107,518 21.50 
			 2009-10 109,125 20.05 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 3: Total SCS 
			  Financial year  Total number of recipients  Total paid ( million) 
			 2005-06 205 1.39 
			 2006-07 200 1.67 
			 2007-08 202 1.73 
			 2008-09 208 1.82 
			 2009-10 209 1.76 
		
	
	 Special Awards
	Individuals may also be entitled to a Special Award either as cash or retail vouchers. These are one-off recognition awards, payable at any time during the performance year and are not linked to the annual pay award. Payments are made to recognise exceptional achievements beyond what would normally be expected.
	Information on Special Awards prior to 2007-08 is not available.
	Some individuals may have received more than one voucher during the year.
	
		
			  Table 4: Cash payments 
			  Financial year  Total number of recipients  Total paid ( million) 
			 2007-08 11,250 2.70 
			 2008-09 14,612 3.04 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 5: Voucher payments 
			  Financial year  Total number of vouchers issued  Total paid ( million) 
			 2006-07 14,392 0.9 
			 2007-08 31,237 1.77 
			 2008-09 28,869 1.03 
		
	
	 Loyalty and Recognition Award Scheme
	The Department also has a Loyalty and Recognition scheme that allows staff who have completed 25 years service the choice of receiving an award of either a gift up to the value of 250 or an additional 37 hours (36 in London Pay Zones) special leave with pay regardless of the hours they work.
	The following table shows the total number of staff awarded the Loyalty and Recognition Award in each year since April 2007. This has been broken down to show the number of staff who received the additional special leave and the days taken, the number who received the financial gift and the total cost of financial gift payments.
	It is not possible to provide the monetary value of the additional special leave taken because information is not recorded in this format.
	Information about the Loyalty and Recognition Scheme was not recorded centrally prior to April 2007. The cost of extracting this information in the format requested for the period prior to April 2007 would be at a disproportionate cost.
	
		
			  Table 6: Loyalty and recognition awards 
			  Financial year  Total number of staff awarded the  25 year loyalty and recognition award  Total number of staff who opted to receive the additional special leave  Total number in days of additional special leave taken  Total number of staff who opted to receive the financial gift  Total cost of financial gift payments () 
			 2007-08 468 257 1,328 211 50,748.64 
			 2008-09 731 192 909 539 106,495.88 
			  Notes: 1. The information in tables 1 and 2 is based on the numbers of employees recorded on the DWP payroll systems as having received a qualifying performance mark. These are headcount. 2. Some individuals may have received more than one type of bonus payment in the year, which is why the information has been presented separately and not as an aggregated total. 3. The performance bonus is paid in the financial year following the performance year of 1 April to 31 March 2009. 4. The total amount paid includes Employers National Insurance Contribution (ERNIC). 5. In-year cash bonus data was previously held on a separate IT system. Data from this system can only be obtained from a third party and there would be a cost ascribed to this provision. This would bring the cost of answering this PQ to above the threshold considered proportionate. 
		
	
	These figures are the best available.

Elderly: Charities

John Mason: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what support her Department has given to charities which help the elderly in each of the last six years.

Angela Eagle: My Department works closely with a wide range of organisations both large and small, to ensure the voice of older people is heard. Funding from Government is not necessarily provided direct to charitable organisations, however, they can receive support through a range of processes.
	For example, our LinkAge Plus pilots provided funding (10 million) and engaged with local government, voluntary and community sectors including charities to ensure better information and access to services, putting older people at the forefront of service design and delivery.
	More recently, my Department, along with DCSF, DH and the Office for the Third Sector is financing a 5.5 million programme to fund 12 sites encouraging intergenerational volunteering. These sites will be run by local authorities in partnership with the third sector including charities.
	The Department funds partnerships between, for example, local authorities and voluntary groups. It is not possible to easily identify the proportion which goes to charities.

Housing Benefit: Reform

Margaret Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions when she plans to ( a) commence and  (b) conclude her review of the outcomes of the reforms of the housing benefit system.

Helen Goodman: As was set out earlier this year in 'Building Britain's Future', we intend to consult on the reform of housing benefit later on this year. No decision has yet been made about the exact timing of the consultation exercise.

Jobseeker's Allowance: Lone Parents

Shailesh Vara: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many lone parents under the age of 18 were in receipt of income-based jobseeker's allowance in each of the last 10 years.

Helen Goodman: holding answer 9 September 2009
	The information is not available in the format requested. However, almost all lone parents under the age of 18 on benefits claim income support rather than jobseeker's allowance as they are not required to be available for work.

Nuclear Installations Inspectorate: Manpower

Greg Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment she has made of the effect of staffing levels in the  (a) the Nuclear Installations Inspectorate and  (b) the HSE Nuclear Directorate on (i) safety at the UK's nuclear sites and (ii) the rate of progress of the generic design assessment.

Jonathan R Shaw: Primary responsibility for safety at the UK's nuclear sites rests with the operators of those sites. The role of HSE's Nuclear Directorate, which includes the Nuclear Installations Inspectorate, is to provide regulatory oversight and assurance that they discharge that responsibility. I am advised by Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Nuclear Installations that he has the resources available to discharge that role.
	As a result of successive recruitment exercises, resources in the Directorate for generic design assessment should reach planned levels by December this year. The Health and Safety Executive is confident, subject to the provision of the necessary documentation from the industry, that it will meet the published timetable for completing a meaningful assessment of the generic design proposals by June 2011.
	The Government are determined to ensure that nuclear regulation is properly and sustainably resourced to meet the challenges of the future. It has published proposals to restructure the Nuclear Directorate to that end, which can be found at:
	http://www.decc.gov.uk/en/content/cms/consultations/hse_restruct/hse_restruct.aspx

Nuclear Power: Safety

Greg Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what budget her Department has set for the  (a) Nuclear Installations Inspectorate,  (b) Office for Civil Nuclear Security and  (c) HSE Nuclear Directorate for each of the next five financial years.

Jonathan R Shaw: The information requested in relation to 2009-10 and 2010-11 is provided in the following table.
	Gross Expenditure budget of the Health and Safety Executive's (HSE) Nuclear Directorate (ND), comprising the Nuclear Installations Inspectorate (NII) and the Office for Civil Nuclear Security (OCNS), for this and the next financial year.
	
		
			000 
			  Financial year  (a) NII  (b) OCNS  (c) ND 
			 2009-10 35,666 3,334 39,000 
			 2010-11 37,948 3,547 41,495 
			  Notes: 1. HSE has allocated a budget to ND for 2009-10 and an indicative budget for 2010-11 as shown in the table. The figures are rounded to the nearest thousand. 2. HSE has not yet set budgets for 2011-12 and beyond as this year is outside of the current Spending Review settlement.

Pension Credit: Birmingham

Roger Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  what estimate her Department has made of the number of people entitled to a pension credit who have not claimed it in the Birmingham, Sparkbrook and Small Heath constituency in each of the last three years;
	(2)  how many people in Birmingham Sparkbrook and Small Heath constituency  (a) are entitled to and  (b) receive pension credit.

Angela Eagle: Estimates of eligibility and therefore those who are entitled to pension credit but have not claimed it are not available below the level of Great Britain.
	The latest estimates of the take-up rates and the number of those entitled to but not receiving pension credit are published in the report Income Related Benefits Estimates of Take-Up in 2007-08.
	As at February 2009 there were 7,680 households in receipt of pension credit in the Birmingham, Sparkbrook and Small Heath constituency.
	 Notes:
	1. The number of households in receipt are rounded to the nearest ten.
	2. Household recipients are those people who claim pension credit either for themselves only or on behalf of a household.
	 Source:
	DWP Information Directorate Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study 100 per cent. data.

Pensions Service: Manpower

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many and what percentage of Pensions Service staff left the service in the last  (a) six and  (b) 12 months.

Angela Eagle: The information available is in the following table:
	
		
			  Leavers 
			   November 2008 to April 2009 (six months)  July 2008 to April 2009 (10 months) 
			 Former TPS leavers 778.24 1,320.4 
			 As a percentage of all staff 8 13 
			  Note:  The Pension Service (TPS) and Disability and Carers Service (DCS) merged to form Pension, Disability and Carers Service (PDCS) in April 2008. The resource management staffing records remained as separate entities until April 2009therefore data for the former TPS are not available beyond that date   Source:  RM Dataview.

Scotland

Stewart Hosie: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether her Department plans to make a submission to the Scottish Executive's National Conversation consultation on Scotland's constitutional future.

Jim Knight: The Department for Work and Pensions has not submitted evidence to the Scottish Government's National Conversation.
	The Commission on Scottish Devolution was established by majority vote in the Scottish Parliament and with the full support of the UK Government. UK Departments submitted evidence to the Commission during its first phase of evidence gathering.
	The Commission recently published its Final Report, which can be found here:
	http://www.commissiononscottishdevolution.org.uk/uploads/2009-06-12-csd-final-report-2009fbookmarked.pdf
	A Steering Group has been established under the chairmanship of the Secretary of State for Scotland to help the UK Government and the Scottish Parliament plan how to take forward the Caiman recommendations and deliver stronger devolution within a stronger United Kingdom.

Social Security Benefits: Per Capita Costs

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what her Department's most recent estimate is of the average cost per person per month of  (a) jobseeker's allowance,  (b) income support and  (c) housing benefit.

Jim Knight: The answer is not available in the format requested. The available information is in the tables.
	
		
			   February 2009 () 
			 Income support non-MIG claimants average weekly amount in payment 80.65 
			 Jobseekers allowance claimants average weekly amount in payment 55.69 
			  Note:  Average amounts are shown as pounds per week and rounded to the nearest penny.  Source:  DWP Information Directorate: Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study. 
		
	
	
		
			   May 2009 () 
			 Housing benefit average weekly amount in payment 81.03 
			  Notes: 1. Average amounts are shown as pounds per week and rounded to the nearest penny.  2. Figures for any non-responding authorities have been estimated.  3. Housing benefit figures exclude any extended payment cases.  Source:  Single Housing Benefit Extract (SHBE).

State Retirement Pensions

Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions for what reasons individuals claiming the state pension may have their pension payments suspended.

Angela Eagle: Payment of state pension would be suspended until the issue in question is resolved. The Secretary of State has the discretion to suspend state pension in whole or in part and would normally do so until any issue which may lead to a doubt about ongoing entitlement had been resolved.
	State pension may be suspended due to the following reasons:
	When official DWP correspondence, which has been sent to the customer, is returned by Royal Mail stating 'not known at this address'. Upon receipt of undelivered correspondence, we would suspend payment of benefit and take action to trace an up to date address for the customer. Payment would only be reinstated when a current address is obtained from the customer or their representative.
	When benefit payments are returned by a bank or building society noted 'account closed reason unknown'. Inquiries would need to be made to establish why the payment has not been made to the nominated account and this would prompt suspension of future payments until the reason is known.
	Where the Department has been informed that a customer receiving Widows Benefit has remarried or where investigations show that a widow is living together as husband and wife with a new partner.
	When a customer is remanded in custody.
	When inquiries or allegations are made regarding a misappropriation of funds by the customer's representative or power of attorney. This would be a request by either the Social Services or via third party disclosure and would result in suspension of benefit.
	When the Department has been notified of the customer's death but the exact date is currently not known. Payment would be suspended until the issues in question are resolved.

State Retirement Pensions: Birmingham

Roger Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people resident in Birmingham, Sparkbrook  Small Heath constituency were in receipt of a state pension in each of the last three years.

Angela Eagle: The information is in the following table.
	
		
			  Number of recipients of state pension in Birmingham Sparkbrook and Small Heath constituency 
			   Number 
			 2007 12,360 
			 2008 12,200 
			 2009 12,210 
			  Notes: 1. Figures are as at February for the years shown. 2. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10; some additional disclosure control has been applied. 3. Constituency is for the Westminster parliament.  Source: DWP Information DirectorateWork and Pensions Longitudinal Study

State Retirement Pensions: Perth

Pete Wishart: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people claimed the state pension in Perth and North Perthshire constituency in each of the last three years.

Angela Eagle: Information on the number of people who have claimed the State Pension is not available. Information on the total State Pension caseload for the Perth and North Perthshire constituency is in the following table.
	
		
			   Caseload 
			 2006 20,330 
			 2007 20,730 
			 2008 21,050 
			  Notes: 1. Figures are as at November for the years shown. 2. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10; some additional disclosure control has been applied. 3. Caseload refers to successful claims. 4. Constituencies are for the Westminster parliament.  Source:  DWP Information DirectorateWork and Pensions Longitudinal Study.

Budget April 2009

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many copies of the Budget 2009 Report his Department ordered; and what the cost of that order was.

Michael Foster: The Department's financial reporting system holds no record of ordering any copies of the Budget 2009 report.

Departmental Advertising

Pete Wishart: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much his Department spent on newspaper advertising by publication in the latest year for which figures are available.

Michael Foster: The following table sets out the Department for International Development's newspaper advertising costs during the financial year 2008-09, and from April 2009 to date, the majority of which is in recruitment advertising.
	
		
			  Publication  Cost () 
			  April 2008 to March 2009  
			 Glasgow Herald 20,133 
			 Scotsman 6,273 
			 Guardian 37,370 
			 Daily Times 540 
			 Evening Standard 5,317 
			 Total 69,633 
			   
			  April 2009 to date  
			 Glasgow Herald 7,273 
			 Scotsman 1,829 
			 Guardian 1,707 
			 Total 10,809

Departmental Advertising

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development on which initiatives of his Department and its agencies expenditure on advertising has been incurred in each of the last five years; how much was spent on each such initiative; and which such initiatives were advertised through the Central Office of Information.

Michael Foster: In the last five years the Department for International Development (DFID) has spent the following on advertising and publicity. 98 per cent. of this expenditure has been for procurement and recruitment reasons.
	
		
			   Total amount ()  Amount spent via CO I 
			 2004 703,719 0 
			 2005 423,952 0 
			 2006 699,898 0 
			 2007 310,191 75,990 
			 2008 338,887 338,887 
		
	
	DFID has advertised other initiatives that do not fall into the categories above over the last five years, but information on them is not held centrally and cannot be provided without incurring disproportionate costs.
	DFID has one non-departmental public body, the Commonwealth Scholarships Commission (CSC) which undertakes publicity and advertising to promote scholarship opportunities and the Commission's Professional Fellowship Programme. The breakdown of spend over the last five years is shown as follows:
	
		
			   Total amount  Amount spent via COI 
			 2004-05 24,366 0 
			 2005-06 19,562 0 
			 2006-07 20,342 0 
			 2007-08 19,346 0 
			 2008-09 12,426 0

Departmental Information and Communications Technology

Justine Greening: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what IT systems have been in development for use within his Department in the last five years; what the reason for the development of each system was; how much has been spent on the development of each system; and which systems have been subsequently  (a) implemented,  (b) terminated prior to implementation and  (c) terminated following implementation.

Michael Foster: The following IT systems have been in development for use within the Department for International Development since July 2004:
	The Quest project introduced an Electronic Document and Records Management (EDRM) system, upgraded the Email system and Desktop software, and developed a Collaborative Working system. The project was completed in March 2006 at a cost of 11.68 million.
	The ARIES Enterprise Resource Planning system was developed to support DFID's project management, finance, procurement and reporting needs. The contract cost was 17.6 million, and the system has been operational since November 2007.
	The HR Transformation project was primarily a business change project but included a number of smaller IT components to help manage staff administration, including the Performance Management System and 360 Feedback System. The cost of the HR Transformation project was 6.0 million.
	The Knowledge and Information Management Programme began in 2008 and contains a number of IT projects, including the Chapter system to manage ministerial and parliamentary correspondence and an upgrade to the Quest EDRM system. The programme is on track to complete in March 2011. The current cost estimate is 6.8 million.
	All the systems mentioned have been implemented and are in use. No major IT systems have been terminated either prior to implementation or before their planned lifespan after implementation.
	One IT project run by DFID Pakistan was cancelled in September 2008. The project had spent 7,000 at the point of cancellation.

Departmental Manpower

Justine Greening: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what estimate he has made of the average length of employment of staff of his Department at each civil service pay band.

Michael Foster: Details of the average length of service of Home Civil Service (HCS) staff in the Department for International Development (DFID), is shown in the following table:
	
		
			  Pay band  Average length of service (approximate) 
			 SCS 13.8 years = 13 years 10 months 
			 A1equivalent to G6 11.3 years = 11 years 4 months 
			 A2equivalent to G7 8.9 years = 8 years 11 months 
			 A2(L)equivalent to SEO 17.4 years = 17 years 5 months 
			 B1(D)Fast Stream 2.5 years = 2 years 6 months 
			 B1equivalent to HEO 16.3 years = 16 years 4 months 
			 B2equivalent to EO 13.9 years = 14 years 
			 C1equivalent to AO 14.3 years = 14 years 4 months 
			 C2equivalent to AA 15.2 years = 15 years 3 months 
			 Overall 12.5 years =12 years 6 months

Departmental Manpower

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many staff there were in his Department  (a) in 1997 and  (b) on the latest date for which figures are available.

Michael Foster: Details of Home Civil Service (HCS) staffing numbers within the Department for International Development (DFID)as at  (a) 1997, and  (b) end of September 2009 (the latest figures available)are shown in the following table.
	Numbers of our staff appointed in country (SAIC) are shown separately. These are staff engaged locally overseas, on local terms and conditions, to support our work in developing countries.
	
		
			   Home Civil Service (HCS) staff  Staff Appointed in Country (SAIC)  Total 
			 1997 1,714 330 2,044 
			 2009 1,630 757 2,387

Departmental Non-Domestic Rates

Justine Greening: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many properties owned by his Department were liable for payment of  (a) business rates and  (b) empty property rates in each of the last five years; and what the liability in respect of each was in each such year.

Michael Foster: The Department for International Development (DFID) has only one freehold property in the United Kingdom, Abercrombie House office in East Kilbride.
	The business rates bill for the last five years for this office was as follows:
	
		
			
			 2004-05 432,602 
			 2005-06 440,377 
			 2006-07 428,538 
			 2007-08 416,028 
			 2008-09 432,894 
		
	
	DFID has had no liability for empty property rates over this period.

Departmental Recruitment

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what data his Department holds on the level of diversity in its recruitment of employees in each of the last three years.

Michael Foster: The Department for International Development (DFID) keeps volunteered diversity recruitment data on age, disability, ethnicity and gender.
	DFID's Annual Diversity Report and Data Analysis can be found at:
	http://www.dfid.gov.uk/Documents/diversity/diversity-report-2008-09.pdf

Departmental Responsibilities

Andrew Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if he will  (a) place in the Library and  (b) publish on his Department's website a copy of each (i) project document, (ii) logframe and (iii) evaluation report relating to each project listed on his Department's website's project information database.

Michael Foster: Following the publication of summary project information on our website in September, we are working on arrangements and a timetable for publishing further details of our projects. In doing so, we need to balance our commitment to transparency with the need to protect sensitive information, and the cost and practicality of publishing information in a usable format.

Developing Countries: Disabled

Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment his Department has made of the effects of its spending on education in developing countries on the education of disabled children in those countries.

Michael Foster: The Department for International Development (DFID) is committed to the integration of disability policy and practice as set out in DFID's policy Reducing Poverty by Tackling Social Exclusion (2005). The practice paper, Working on Disability in Country Programmes (2007), sets out DFID's approach and commitments on disability which is main-streamed across all sectors, including education. These are available in the Library of the House and on the DFID website:
	www.dfid.gov.uk
	DFID's country-led approach helps support partner countries' plans, policies and programmes to ensure that children, including those with disabilities, benefit from quality education. This holistic approach includes working with partners to ensure that access to education by children with special needs is addressed.
	The UK is spending 8.5 billion over the period 2006-07 to 2015-16 in support of education in developing countries. DFID's new White Paper Eliminating World Poverty: Building our Common Future announced that a new Education Strategy will be launched. A public consultation process will be held up to end October, which will enable us to review how we support social inclusion issues and receive views from interested parties.

Developing Countries: Disabled

Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what account his Department takes of the twin-track approach to disability set out in his Department's paper, Disability, poverty and development, in the development of its work on education and disability.

Michael Foster: The Department for International Development (DFID) is implementing the twin-track approach on its work on education and disability in the following ways:
	The How to note on Working on Disability in Country Programmes is being disseminated to DFID programmes and to Civil Society partners. The note is available at:
	http://www.dfid.gov.uk/Documents/publications/Disguide DFID.pdf
	DFID requires all 22 priority countries to carry out a Country Governance Analysis (CGA) as part of the planning and design of new country strategies. This analysis includes an assessment of gender inequalities and of excluded groups, their interests and needs. To date, partner governments in Uganda and Ethiopia have explicitly targeted disabled children in their national strategies for education.
	DFID supports civil society in shaping the design of national education systems and services, so that the interests of disabled people and other excluded groups are reflected in national planning processes. DFID also supports capacity building for disabled people's organisations, so that they can engage with government and others on the design of essential service provision.
	DFID supports the global Disability Rights Fund (with a current contribution of 868,000 over 18 months) which provides grants to work with and help empower disabled people.
	Starting in 2009-10, DFID will include disabled people when designing evaluation systems and other tools for building the evidence of good practice in reducing poverty, including through education.

Developing Countries: Disabled

Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much of his Department's expenditure on education was incurred in relation to  (a) projects directly targeting disabled children and  (b) broader projects on education with disability mainstreamed in (i) Nigeria, (ii) Tanzania, (iii) India and (iv) Pakistan in the most recent year for which figures are available.

Michael Foster: The UK is spending 8.5 billion over the period 2006-07 to 2015-16 in support of education in developing countries. As the bulk of our support and engagement is provided through direct budget support and sector wide approaches, we are unable to put a specific global figure on the amount of money spent directly on disabled children. However, we encourage partner governments to ensure that their monitoring mechanisms can track the effects of national education sector spending on the most vulnerable children, including disabled children.
	The estimated spend on projects where disability is either directly targeted or mainstreamed in the four countries listed is:
	IndiaThe DFID supported Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA), National Education for All Programme, has helped reach over 1 million children with special needs since 2005-06. The programme has spent over 78 million of which it is estimated approximately 2.3 million supported special needs children.
	NigeriaDFID provides support to a set of State level sector programmes including education sector support through the Education Sector Support Programme. DFID Nigeria is increasing its support from 100 million in 2008-09 to 140 million in 2010-11. The increased allocation is being used to expand support to selected partner states for health and education over the next three years.
	PakistanWe do not have any ongoing or pipeline programmes that specifically target the disabled. Our support is mainly provided through sector budgets in support of provincial plans, within which issues relating to provision for disabled children is made.
	TanzaniaDFID's support in Tanzania is aligned with the Government of Tanzania National Strategy for Growth and Reduction of Poverty. In 2007-08 DFID provided 105 million as budget support of which over 26 million went to the education sector. Of this, we estimate that more than 66,000 went on school places for disabled children.

Developing Countries: Economic Situation

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent assessment he has made of the effects of reductions in levels of global trade on the gross domestic product of  (a) small vulnerable economies,  (b) least developed countries and  (c) small island states.

Gareth Thomas: Since the onset of the global financial crisis, the Department for International Development (DFID) has been closely tracking its impact on developing countries. The crisis and the subsequent reductions in global trade have had a significant effect on developing countries and a reduction in projected growth rates is predicted across the board. Our initial assessments have indicated that commodity exporting countries with non-diversified economies have seen the greatest impact.
	A dedicated team has been set up to co-ordinate and initiate work across the Department to assess trade-related and other impacts of the global slowdown on low-income countries. More broadly DFID is in close contact with colleagues across Whitehall and overseas, in other Governments, the international financial institutions, and research institutions to analyse impacts of the crisis and plan further effective responses. DFID has commissioned several pieces of research examining trade-related impacts which have been made publicly available:
	The implication of the global financial crisis for developing countries' export volumes and values
	http://www.odi.org.uk/resources/details.asp?id=3410title= global-financial-crisis-developing-countries-export-volumes-trade
	Individual Country Reports of 10 selected Low Income Countries
	http://www.odi.org.uk/projects/details.asp?id=1041title= global-financial-crisis-developing-countries
	Assessing the Impact of the Global Financial Crisis on World Prices and Trade in Developing Countries
	http://www.ids.ac.uk/index.cfm?objectid=C3AB945D-9C12-586B-549FE1FC1F72E600
	Are Exporters in Africa Facing Reduced Availability of Trade Finance?
	http://www.ids.ac.uk/index.cfm?objectid=C369D2D2-AEE3-EB77-A7847EA6F6FBF447

Developing Countries: Taxation

Michael Moore: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development when he last discussed the commitment made at the G20 London Summit to develop proposals by end 2009, to make it easier for developing countries to secure the benefits of a new co-operative tax environment with the Chancellor of the Exchequer; what progress has been made in producing such proposals; and if he will make a statement

Gareth Thomas: The Secretary of State met the Chancellor of the Exchequer in early September as part of ongoing preparations for the autumn G20 meetings to discuss progress on G20 commitments and priorities for the next leaders' meeting.
	Since the London Summit positive progress has been made to deliver on the commitment to create a new co-operative tax environment for developing countries. The 1-2 September meeting of the OECD Global Forum on Transparency and Exchange of Information for Tax Purposes included developing country issues. Participants agreed that developing countries will have access to membership of the Global Forum, and participate on an equal footing with OECD members. They also noted progress on projects to develop a multilateral mechanism for tax information exchange and agreed to submit a report about how this would work to the G20 Finance Ministers meeting in November. The Communiqu from the September G20 Finance Ministers meeting reaffirmed support for this commitment. I also refer the hon. Member to the statement made on this matter by the Chancellor of the Exchequer on Wednesday 9 September 2009,  Official Report, column 135WS.

Fairtrade Initiative

Ben Wallace: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent steps his Department has taken to encourage the use of Fairtrade schemes  (a) in the UK and  (b) abroad.

Gareth Thomas: In the UK, we have provided funding to Fairtrade Foundation UK, for projects ranging from development and expansion of Fairtrade certification and markets, to awareness-raising campaigns.
	Internationally, we are currently delivering on a 1.2 million commitment to Fairtrade Labelling Organisations International (FLO)the apex organisation of global Fairtradefor its work to broaden and deepen Fairtrade's impact.
	On 10 October we announced an additional commitment to FLO of 12 million, over four years. This funding will support their work, together with the Fairtrade Foundation UK and other national labelling organisations, to double the number of producers selling on Fairtrade terms, and triple global retail sales to some 9 billion per annum by 2013.

India and China: Overseas Aid

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much his Department spent in  (a) India and  (b) China in the last 12 months for which figures are available.

Michael Foster: Information on the Department for International Development's (DFID) aid to all developing countries in 2008-09 was published in its Annual Report and Accounts, a copy of which is available in the Library. In 2008-09 total DFID bilateral aid to India was 297 million; total DFID bilateral aid to China was 40 million.

International Women's Day

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much his Department plans to spend on promoting International Women's Day 2010.

Michael Foster: We do not, at this stage, have firm plans on how we will mark International Women's Day in March 2010. Our approach is likely to be similar to that taken this year, which was outlined in the answer which I gave to the hon. Member on 30 June 2009,  Official Report, column 222W.

Kenya: Food Supply

Sally Keeble: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent assessment his Department has made of food shortages in Kenya; and if he will make a statement.

Gareth Thomas: The Department for International Development (DFID) accepts the United Nations (UN) agencies and the Government of Kenya's recent assessment of the current food shortages in Kenya. This shows that domestic production of the staple, maize, is 30 per cent. less than normal due to the drought this year. Even with additional imports of food by the private sector, 9.9 million people face food insecurity.
	DFID has already provided 7.9 million this year to support general food relief through the World Food Programme, and targeted relief for acutely malnourished children through international non-governmental agencies. On 2 October we announced an additional 5 million allocation to help those most in need. We are also pressing the Government of Kenya to do all it can to respond to the needs of its people, and in the longer-term to address the root causes of Kenya's chronic food insecurity.

Maldives: Overseas Aid

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what aid his Department has provided to the Maldives for development in each year since 1997; how much it plans to provide in 2009-10; and if he will make a statement.

Michael Foster: Full details of the UK development expenditure in the Maldives are contained in the Department for International Development (DFID) publication 'Statistics on International Development'. This publication is available from the Library and online at
	www.dfid.gov.uk.
	Relevant figures are reproduced in the following table.
	DFID does not have any plans to spend directly in the Maldives in 2009-10; however some of DFID's contributions to multilateral organisations may be spent there.
	
		
			  UK gross public expenditure on development in the Maldives, 1997-98 to 2008-09 
			  000 
			   DFID bilateral expenditure  Other UK official sources bilateral expenditure  UK imputed multilateral shares 
			 1997-98 292   
			 1998-99 310  85 
			 1999-2000 292  206 
			 2000-01 286  1,011 
			 2001-02 83  101 
			 2002-03 195  402 
			 2003-04 199  40 
			 2004-05 808  451 
			 2005-06 405  2,292 
			 2006-07   595 
			 2007-08  44 539 
			 2008-09  n/a n/a

Overseas Aid

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment he has made of the effects on progress towards achieving the Millennium Development Goals of the global economic downturn.

Gareth Thomas: The Department for International Development (DFID) has been following events closely but the full economic and social impacts will not be known for some time. Therefore making an assessment of the impact of the crisis on the millennium development goals (MDGs) is extremely difficult and indicative at best. Based on revised growth forecasts, we estimate that up to 90 million more people will be living in extreme poverty by 2010 as a result of the crisis than previously anticipated. This is expected to delay the achievement of MDG1eradicate extreme poverty and hungerby up to three years. Other goals, such as increased educational enrolment and reduced child mortality, are also likely to be affected due to falling household incomes, but the severity of such effects depend on government policy in the particular developing country.
	The recent White Paper Eliminating World Poverty: Building our Common Future emphasises DFID's commitment to supporting poor people through the global economic crisis. It is available in the Library of the House and on the DFID website:
	www.dfid.gov.uk

Overseas Aid: Forests

Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what funding his Department has provided for community-based forestry projects that support the land rights of forest communities in the last 12 months.

Michael Foster: In the last 12 months the Department for International Development (DFID) has provided funding for the following four initiatives that support the land rights of forest communities: two projects that support the land rights of forest communities in the Congo Basin; the Livelihoods and Forestry Programme (LFP) of Nepal; and a programme of work by the Rights and Resources Initiative (RRI). The total expenditure on these initiatives over the last 12 months is 4,462,000.

Somaliland: Overseas Aid

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much his Department has spent on humanitarian projects in Somaliland in the last 12 months.

Gareth Thomas: The Department for International Development (DFID) has not funded any humanitarian projects in Somaliland in the last 12 months. During this period we have committed approximately 25 million to UN agencies, international non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) for their humanitarian work in South-Central Somalia, reflecting the greater need there. DFID has an active development programme in Somaliland, on which almost 6 million was spent in 2008-09.

Sri Lanka: Armed Conflict

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment he has made of the humanitarian effects of the conflict in Sri Lanka.

Michael Foster: The Government of Sri Lanka (GoSL) declared victory over the LITE in May 2009. Approximately 270,000 internally displaced people (IDPs) remain in camps in the north and east of the country. Conditions in the camps are basic but have improved as the needs for shelter, food, water and medicine are gradually being met. We remain concerned about high malnutrition levels among sections of the IDP population, the lack of freedom of movement and the restrictions put on activities such as registration of the population and the reunification of families. Recent flooding in the camps following heavy rain highlights the importance of safely returning as many people as possible to their homes before the monsoon season. The Department for International Development (DFID), together with the international community, is participating in contingency planning to mitigate against its effect on the camps.
	DFID has allocated 3 million to help the returns process and has recently agreed a grant of 0.5 million to Mine Action Group (MAG) to contribute towards de-mining activities in the Vanni.

Sri Lanka: Overseas Aid

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps he is taking to provide humanitarian assistance to those held in internment camps in Sri Lanka.

Michael Foster: The conventional conflict between the Government of Sri Lanka (GoSL) and LTTE ended in May 2009. Approximately 270,000 internally displaced people (IDPs) continue to remain in camps in the north and east of Sri Lanka. Since September 2008, the Department for International Development (DFID) has allocated 12.5 million of humanitarian aid to Sri Lanka. This has supported impartial organisations such as the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) to undertake both child protection and vaccination campaigns in the IDP camps, as well as the International Office of Migration (IOM) to build, equip and supply health clinics in the camps. We are pressing for the IDPs to be treated in accordance with accepted international standards and guidelines and for the safe return of the IDPs from the camps to their homes as soon as possible.

Zimbabwe: Overseas Aid

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much development aid has been provided by his Department to each programme in Zimbabwe in each of the last three years.

Gareth Thomas: Summary information on the Department for International Development's (DFID) aid to Zimbabwe in each of the last three years was published in annex A of DFID's 2008-09 annual report and resource accounts in July, a copy of which is available in the Library. Information on all individual DFID-funded projects is available via the project information database on our website at:
	www.dfid.gov.uk

British Constitution: Ministerial Statements

Nick Hurd: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice pursuant to the Prime Minister's statement of 10 June 2009,  Official Report, columns 795-99, on constitutional renewal, when the Government will set out its proposals for taking forward the debate on electoral reform.

Michael Wills: On 29 September, the Prime Minister made a commitment to hold a referendum early in the next Parliament on changing the current voting system for the House of Commons to the Alternative Vote system.

Civil Proceedings: Fees and Charges

Paul Farrelly: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice when he expects to announce the conclusions of his review into the operation of conditional fee agreements following the end of the consultation contained in paper CP4/09, Controlling costs in defamation proceedings.

Bridget Prentice: We are not currently undertaking a review into the operation of conditional fee agreements.
	The consultation paper CP4/09 Controlling costs in defamation proceedings proposed a number of specific measures aimed at controlling the costs of defamation and some other publication related proceedings.
	I have made a written ministerial statement today confirming that the response to that consultation paper was issued on 24 September 2009. Copies of the response paper have been placed in the Libraries of both Houses. The paper is also available on the Ministry of Justice website at:
	www.justice.gsi.gov.uk
	Copies have also been made available in the Vote Office and the Printed Paper Office.
	Lord Justice Jackson has been appointed by the Master of the Rolls to undertake a review of the rules and principles governing the costs of civil litigation. He is considering the operation of conditional fee agreements as part of this review. Ministers will consider the review's recommendations when they are available.

Civil Proceedings: Fees and Charges

Paul Farrelly: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice when he expects to publish the responses received to the consultation paper CP4/09, Controlling costs in defamation proceedings.

Bridget Prentice: I have made a written ministerial statement today confirming that the response to the consultation paper Controlling costs in defamation proceedings CP4/09 was issued on 24 September 2009.
	Copies of the response paper have been placed in the Libraries of both Houses. The paper is also available on the Ministry of Justice website at:
	www.justice.gsi.gov.uk
	Copies have also been made available in the Vote Office and the Printed Paper Office.

Civil Proceedings: Fees and Charges

Paul Farrelly: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what reports he has received of the outcome of the second stage of the review by Sir Rupert Jackson of the  (a) costs of litigation and  (b) operation of conditional fee agreements in England and Wales; and when he expects the (i) first draft and (ii) final draft of Sir Rupert's report to be available.

Bridget Prentice: Lord Justice Jackson was appointed by the Master of the Rolls in January 2009 to lead a fundamental review of the rules and principles governing the costs of civil litigation. Ministers have received a copy of the preliminary report published on the 8 May 2009. Lord Justice Jackson has indicated that his final report will be delivered to the Master of the Rolls by the 31 December 2009 and Ministers expect to receive a copy of the report early in the New Year.

Corporal Punishment: Young people

Natascha Engel: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what recent guidance his Department has issued to young offender institutions on the prohibition on corporal punishment in the juvenile secure estate.

Maria Eagle: The Ministry of Justice has not issued any recent guidance to young offender institutions on the prohibition of corporal punishment in the Young People's secure estate.
	Corporal punishment in prisons was abolished under Section 65 of the Criminal Justice Act 1967. This section of the Act remains in force.

Crimes of Violence: Females

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many women have been convicted for each offence involving violence against the person in each of the last 10 years.

Claire Ward: Information showing the number of females found guilty at all courts for offences of violence against the person by offence, in England and Wales, from 1998 to 2007 (latest available) is shown in the following table. Data for 2008 will be available towards the end of 2009.
	
		
			  Number of females found guilty at all courts for offences of violence against the person by offence, 1998 to 2007( 1, 2) , England and Wales 
			  Offence  1998  1999  2000  2001  2002  2003  2004  2005  2006  2007 
			  Indictable offences   
			 Murder 9 16 13 17 13 19 18 24 14 19 
			 Attempted murder 6 3 7 3 4 4 8 1 4 4 
			 Threat or conspiracy to murder 43 41 38 38 43 46 50 47 35 44 
			 Manslaughter 35 27 28 32 36 31 26 41 21 24 
			 Infanticide 2 8 2 5 2   2 1 2 
			 Child destruction  1 
			 Causing death by dangerous driving 4 11 10 13 9 6 13 15 12 21 
			 Manslaughter due to diminished responsibility 3 5 5 4 4 1 3 3  1 
			 Causing death by dangerous driving while under the influence of drink or drugs 5 5 2 2 9 4 4 5 7 8 
			 Causing or allowing the death of a child or vulnerable person 1 3 
			 Causing death by aggravated vehicle taking 1  1  2  1 1 2 1 
			 Wounding or other act endangering life 99 92 93 100 103 104 146 137 108 119 
			 Endangering railway passenger  2 3 1   1 2 1 6 
			 More serious offences 207 210 202 215 225 215 270 278 206 253 
			 Other wounding, etc. 3,301 3,088 3,226 2,997 3,314 3,359 3,548 3,874 3,977 3,985 
			 Cruelty to or neglect of children 210 270 247 223 247 271 307 283 257 260 
			 Abandoning children aged under two years1 2 1 
			 Child abduction 8 10 6 6 8 13 10 13 16 5 
			 Procuring illegal abortion 1  
			 Concealment of birth 1 1 1 1  3  3 2 1 
			 Less serious offences 3,521 3,369 3,480 3,228 3,569 3,646 3,865 4,173 4,254 4,252 
			 Total indictable violence against the person 3,728 3,579 3,682 3,443 3,794 3,861 4,135 4,451 4,460 4,505 
			
			  Summary offences   
			 Common assault, etc. 3,209 3,611 3,696 3,826 4,267 4,536 5,519 6,550 7,283 8,068 
			
			  Total indictable and summary offences of violence against the person 6,937 7,190 7,378 7,269 8,061 8,397 9,654 11,001 11,743 12,573 
			 (1) The statistics relate to persons for whom these offences were the principal offences for which they were dealt with. When a defendant has been found guilty of two or more offences, the principal offence is the offence for which the heaviest penalty is imposed. Where the same disposal is imposed for two or more offences, the offence selected is the offence for which the statutory maximum penalty is the most severe. (2) Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used.  Source:  Office for Criminal Justice Reform, Evidence and Analysis Unit.

Criminal Injuries Compensation: Driving Offences

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what estimate has been made of the costs incurred under the Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme in relation to injuries and deaths caused by uninsured drivers in the latest period for which figures are available.

Claire Ward: Injuries or deaths caused by drivers, uninsured or otherwise, are not covered by the terms of the criminal injuries compensation scheme (CICS), except where the driver used the vehicle deliberately to inflict, or to attempt to inflict, injury. Otherwise, the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority (which administers the CICS) refers victims of road traffic incidents to the Motor Insurers' Bureau, an industry-sponsored body which can compensate victims of uninsured drivers.

Cycling: Prosecutions

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many prosecutions there have been for offences related to riding a bicycle on the pavement in each police force area in the last year for which figures are available.

Claire Ward: Information showing the number of defendants proceeded against at magistrates courts for riding a pedal cycle on a footpath, England and Wales, broken down by police force area, in 2007 (latest available) is shown in the table.
	Data for 2008 will be available in the autumn of 2009.
	
		
			  Number of defendants proceeded against at magistrates courts for riding a pedal cycle on a footpath under section 72 of the 1835 Highway Act, in England and Wales, broken down by police force area, 2007( 1, 2, 3) 
			  Force  Proceeded against 
			 Bedfordshire 2 
			 Cambridgeshire 3 
			 Cleveland 10 
			 Cumbria 9 
			 Dorset 14 
			 Durham 3 
			 Greater Manchester 4 
			 Hampshire 9 
			 Humberside 12 
			 Kent 4 
			 Lancashire 2 
			 Leicestershire 1 
			 Lincolnshire 2 
			 London, City of 3 
			 Merseyside 3 
			 Metropolitan Police 17 
			 Norfolk 2 
			 Northumbria 21 
			 North Yorkshire 6 
			 Nottinghamshire 4 
			 Staffordshire 1 
			 Suffolk 1 
			 Thames Valley 1 
			 West Mercia 3 
			 West Midlands 8 
			 West Yorkshire 1 
			 Wiltshire 3 
			 England and Wales 149 
			 (1) The statistics relate to persons for whom these offences were the principal offences for which they were dealt with. When a defendant has been found guilty of two or more offences the principal offence is the offence for which the heaviest penalty is imposed. Where the same disposal is imposed for two or more offences, the offence selected is the offence for which the statutory maximum penalty is the most severe. (2) Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used. (3) Where a police force area is not listed in the table, nil data is recorded.  Source: Evidence and Analysis UnitOffice for Criminal Justice Reform

Data Protection

Harry Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice pursuant to the evidence submitted by the Information Commissioner's Office to the Culture, Media and Sport Committee in its inquiry into self-regulation of the press, which journalists received data supplied by Hampshire-based private investigators under Operations Glade and Motorman.

Michael Wills: In 2006, the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) carried out an investigation into data protection offences under Operation Motorman. This investigation led to a further investigation by the Metropolitan Police Service under Operation Glade.
	The ICO published two special reports to Parliament, 'What Price Privacy?' and 'What Price Privacy Now?', which relate to these investigations but did not name the journalists involved. Under Section 59 of the Data Protection Act (DPA) 1998, the Information Commissioner is generally prohibited from disclosing information obtained by him under the provisions of the DPA which relates to an identifiable individual or business and has not previously been made publicly available, for example, names of journalists or the organisations they work for.
	This information has been supplied by the ICO.

Data Protection

Harry Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what recent discussions he has had with the Information Commissioner on the outcomes of Operation Motorman and related investigations and its findings relating to data illegally obtained from British Telecom, the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency and the Police National Computer; and if he will make a statement.

Michael Wills: The Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) presented two special reports to Parliament in 2006 about the illegal trade in personal information.
	Although there have been no recent discussions between the Secretary of State for Justice and the Information Commissioner on this subject, the Ministry of Justice and the ICO work closely together to ensure that all data controllers understand their obligations under the Data Protection Act 1998.
	The Government are currently considering whether now is the appropriate time to consult on introducing custodial sentences for the knowing or reckless misuse of personal data.

Debt Collection

Paul Rowen: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what his policy is on the means by which bailiffs identify themselves on the doorstep; and if he will make a statement.

Bridget Prentice: Bailiff powers and their conduct is a sensitive and complex issue and has been the subject of considerable assessment, debate and consultation over the last 10 years.
	The National Standards for Enforcement Agents published in 2002 by the then Lord Chancellor's Department states,
	Enforcement agents should always produce relevant identification on request, such as a badge or ID card, together with a written authorisation to act on behalf of the creditor.
	The guidance is not a legally binding document and does not replace local agreements, existing agency codes of practice or legislation; rather it sets out what the Ministry, those in the industry and some major users regard as minimum standards.
	The Government announced, on 17 March 2009, measures to strengthen regulation of the enforcement industry that will raise standards of professionalism within the industry and give the public greater confidence in it. The regulatory framework will include a mandatory code of conduct that will address the means by which enforcement agents identify themselves on the doorstep.
	A forthcoming consultation paper will set out the Government's intentions for a package of measures which will address concerns that have been raised about the behaviour of bailiffs and proposals for the regulation of the bailiff industry. The intention is to commence this consultation exercise in January 2010 with a view to implementing the changes in April 2012.

Departmental Electronic Equipment

Justine Greening: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many  (a) mobile telephones,  (b) Blackberrys and  (c) laptop computers were issued to staff of his Department in each of the last five years; and how many of these were issued to (i) new staff and (ii) existing staff following (A) loss and (B) theft of the previous device.

Michael Wills: Departmental mobile telephones, BlackBerrys and laptops are provided through service contracts with external suppliers. They are usually allocated from a central pool and returned to the pool for re-allocation when no longer required.
	The Ministry of Justice (MOJ) was established in May 2007. Numbers of BlackBerry, laptop and mobile telephone users for 2007-08 and 2008-09 are given as follows:
	
		
			   Number 
			  2007-08  
			 BlackBerry users 510 
			 Laptop users 1,511 
			 Mobile Phone Users 961 
			   
			  2008-09  
			 BlackBerry users 878 
			 Laptop users 1,997 
			 Mobile phone users 863 
		
	
	Figures for BlackBerry and laptop users are taken from the Department's central records which cover MOJ headquarters and main business areas, including Her Majesty's Courts Service (HMCS) and the Tribunals Service. The figures for mobile phone users are for MOJ headquarters only. Larger business areas, including HMCS and the Tribunals Service, manage mobile telephone provision locally and these figures could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	In addition, numbers for the National Offender Management Service, taken from their central records are as follows:
	
		
			   Average laptop volumes  Average BlackBerry volumes  Average mobile telephone volumes 
			 2005 2,789 0 3,741 
			 2006 2,447 0 4,156 
			 2007 2,094 0 4,484 
			 2008 2,740 393 4,775 
		
	
	It would require an extensive data gathering exercise to identify the further detailed information requested. This could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Departmental Location

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what timescale he has set for completion of his Department's proposed accommodation relocation and rationalisation project; which potential locations have been shortlisted; whether he proposes to build the proposed office accommodation under a private finance initiative scheme; and if he will make a statement.

Jack Straw: The Ministry of Justice is developing a feasibility study and business case for potentially establishing a national justice centre hub for HQ functions that do not need to be based in central London.
	The long-term objective is to reduce the high cost London presence and to focus London based activity to business critical requirements of supporting Ministers and conducting core strategic policymaking.
	This is part of a five year estates plan and excludes prisons, courts, tribunals and other operational services which are included in separate operational estate strategies.
	A thorough process is being undertaken and a set of criteria is currently being established with the close involvement of both the Office of Government Commerce and the Department for Communities and Local Government.
	The criteria are wide ranging covering not only value for money considerations but also the socioeconomic impacts, local and regional partnerships, labour market and career opportunities, transport links and sustainability, health and social factors as well as others.
	A list of potential locations has not yet been established and no decisions have been made about the scale, staffing or financial arrangements of any potential future locations.

Departmental Non-departmental Public Bodies

Dominic Grieve: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice for what non-departmental public bodies his Department is responsible; and what the budget of each was in each of the last three years.

Jack Straw: The Ministry of Justice (MOJ)'s Resource Accounts 2008-09 stated that for the year ended 31 March 2009, the MOJ was responsible for nine executive non-departmental public bodies (NDPBs). Due to Machinery of Government changes, the MOJ has not been responsible for all of these nine NDPBs during the last three years. Advisory NDPBs have not been included in this answer as the data are not readily available centrally. Please see the link below for further information about MOJ sponsored bodies, correct as of March 2009 at:
	http://www.justice.gov.uk/publications/docs/sponsored-bodies-2009-revised.pdf
	The following table shows the cash grant paid to each executive NDPB by MOJ for 2009-10 and the two previous years(1):
	
		
			Million 
			  NDPB  2007-08  2008-09  2009-10 
			 Legal services commission 2,149 2,147 2,162 
			 Information commissioner's office 5 5 6 
			 Judicial appointments commission 6 7 8 
			 Parole board  8 10 
			 Youth justice board  443 443 
			 Criminal injuries compensation authority  191 238 
			 Criminal cases review commission  7 7 
			 Office for legal complaints(2)   6 
			 Legal services board(2)   3 
			 (1) Figures are taken from the Main Estimate of each respective year. 2007-08 figures are for the Department for Constitutional Affairs as opposed to the Ministry of Justice. (2) The source of funding to the Office for Legal Complaints and Legal Services Board is a levy upon the legal industry as per Legal Services Act 2007 and so MOJ funding will be reimbursed.

Departmental Non-domestic Rates

Justine Greening: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many properties owned by his Department were liable for payment of  (a) business rates and  (b) empty property rates in each of the last five years; and what the total rates liability was in each year.

Jack Straw: There are four properties owned by Ministry of Justice that were liable for business rates in each of the last five years. None of these properties qualified for empty property rates.
	The total rates bill for these properties over the last five years is as follows:
	
		
			  () 
			   Gwydyr House,  65 Whitehall, SWIA 2NP  Abell House, John Islip Street, London SWIP 4LH  Cleland House, Page  St, London, SWIP 4LN  Ashley House, Monck  St, London, SWIP 2BQ 
			  
			 2004-05 45,600 1,360,248 1,163,712 214,320 
			 2005-06 48,108 1,278,660 1,084,540 256,154 
			 2006-07 49,362 1,311,990 1,112,810 262,831 
			 2007-08 50,616 1,345,320 1,141,080 269,508 
			 2008-09 52,668 1,399,860 1,187,340 280,434 
			 Total 246,354 6,696,078 5,689,482 1,283,247 
		
	
	Figures from the estate of Her Majesty's Court Service and the National Offender Management Service are not held centrally and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

Departmental Paternity Leave

Justine Greening: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many staff took paternity leave from his Department in each of the last five years; and what the average duration of such leave was.

Michael Wills: The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) allows new fathers to take up to 10 working days paternity leave providing they meet the qualifying criteria including continuous employment for at least 26 weeks.
	Information from 2006-07 to present is shown in the following table but it should be noted the data is recorded using calendar days and cannot be converted to working days. Earlier figures were not held centrally.
	
		
			  Annual paternity statistics for Ministry of Justice (excluding National Offender Management Service (NOMS)) 
			   Number of staff  Average number of days (calendar) 
			 2006-07 (Department for Constitutional Affairs) 56 12.55 
			 2007-08 (Ministry of Justice HQExcluding NOMS) 71 13.73 
			 2008-09 (Ministry of Justice HQExcluding NOMS) 70 12.19 
		
	
	The information requested for the National Offender Management Service (NOMS) is not held centrally and to obtain it would entail manually examining large numbers of individual files at a disproportionate cost.

Departmental Postal Services

Michael Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how much his Department spent on Royal Mail services in each of the last five years.

Jack Straw: As the Ministry of Justice was created on 9 May 2007 information is available only for the last two financial years:
	
		
			   
			   2008-09  2007-08 
			 Ministry of Justice HQ 930,866 (1)474,818 
			 HM Courts Service 8,216,255 7,853,817 
			 Tribunal Service 2,630,956 2,367,064 
			 Office of Public Guardian 10,392 6,440 
			 National Offenders Management Service (NOMS) 629,000 (1)449,000 
			 Total: 12,417,469 11,151,139 
			 (1) In 2007-08, expenditure by certain parts of the Departmentthe Office of Criminal Justice Reform in Ministry of Justice headquarters, and headquarters functions within the current NOMS agencywere recorded on the Home Office's accounting system, reflecting the way functions were organised prior to 9 May 2007. Details of this expenditure could be obtained only from Home Office systems at disproportionate cost. The 2007-08 NOMS figure reflects expenditure by the former HM Prison Service agency only. 
		
	
	In addition to this factor, the increase in expenditure reflects increases in postal charges from April 2008 and a greater use of tracked services including recorded post and courier services, reflecting an increased concern for data security when posting information.
	All expenditure with the Royal Mail is in line with the principles set out in HM Treasury's manual Managing Public Money, and the Treasury handbook on Propriety and Regularity.

Departmental Public Expenditure

Graham Brady: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice which Minister in his Department has been assigned responsibility for overseeing the delivery of value for money in his Department; whether his Department has established a public sector reform team to implement service reforms; and if he will make a statement.

Michael Wills: I am the Minister with responsibility for value for money in the Ministry of Justice (MOJ). The MOJ is committed to reforming and improving public services for the citizen and there are a number of teams across the department that are working closely with colleagues in the centre of Government to achieve this. The MOJ's Performance and Efficiency Programme (PEP) was set up to ensure the department delivers efficiencies of over 1 billion in the three years running up to March 2011. This programme is supported by a small PEP team which helps coordinate the work of the wider department.

Departmental Recycling

Stewart Hosie: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what proportion of his Department's waste was recycled in the latest period for which figures are available.

Michael Wills: The Ministry of Justice was created in May 2007. This answer gives the figure for 2007-08 which is the latest period for which figures are available.
	The proportion of waste the Ministry of Justice recycled in 2007-08 was 15,635.6 tonnes and the percentage recycled was 22 per cent. This information was published in the seventh annual Sustainable Development in Government Report (SDiG) at:
	http://www.sd-commission.org.uk/publications.php?id=853
	2008-09 data will be published in December.

Departmental Travel

Justine Greening: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how much his Department and its predecessors spent on  (a) car hire,  (b) train travel,  (c) air travel and  (d) hotels for (i) Ministers and (ii) staff in his Department in each of the last five years.

Jack Straw: All travel by Ministers is undertaken in accordance with the ministerial code. Since 1999, the Cabinet Office has published a list of all overseas travel over 500 undertaken by Ministers. Information for the financial year 2008-09 was published on 16 July 2009 and can be viewed at:
	http://www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/propriety_and_ethics/ministers/travel_gifts.aspx
	All travel and hotel booking by Ministry of Justice staff members is completed in line with the published rules for official travel and subsistence within the staff handbook. The rules are in accordance with the guidelines set out in the Civil Service Management Code.
	It is not possible to identify other expenditure on travel and hotels incurred specifically by Ministers without incurring the disproportionate costs as a significant proportion of hotel bookings, air travel, train travel and car hire are arranged through travel management companies employed by the Ministry to obtain best value for money options. Expenditure may also be incurred directly by staff and reimbursed through an expense claim process or charged to a Government Procurement Card (GPC). The GPC is a credit card operated by Barclays bank designed to limit transaction processing costs for low value, ad-hoc expenses. Expense claim records and log books detailing expenditure on the GPC card are held locally across the organisation, including by courts and prisons across the country. Examination and analysis of local records to identify amounts relating specifically to hotels, air travel, train travel and car hire for the last five years would incur disproportionate cost.
	Travel and hotel costs incurred by Directors General and the Permanent Secretary within the Ministry in 2008-09 are published on the Ministry's website at:
	http://www.justice.gov.uk/publications/moj-business-costs-0809.htm
	Director Generals and Permanent Secretary costs have also been published quarterly on the website since July 2009.
	The annual departmental resource accounts disclose expenditure on travel, subsistence and hospitality in notes 10 (administration expenditure) and 11 (programme expenditure). Resource accounts were published by the Ministry of Justice for 2007-08 and 2008-09 and prior to that by the Ministry's predecessor, the Department for Constitutional Affairs. All published accounts can be found at:
	http://www.official-documents.gov.uk/
	Analysis of published totals to identify amounts relating specifically to hotels, air travel, train travel and car hire for the last five years would incur disproportionate cost. The majority of expenditure is recorded within the Ministry's accounting records against a general travel and subsistence category which includes, in addition, subsistence allowances where, for example, staff are required to stay away from home overnight.
	The information that is held under the travel and subsistence category in the accounts includes non-civil servants, for example, judiciary and probation personnel. To calculate these costs, it would be necessary for the central procurement team to trawl manual records for the last five years. This is not possible since the procurement contracts have changed during this period as have the structure of the Department following Machinery of Government Changes.
	Officials are now working to improve significantly the data held in this area.

Driving Offences: Insurance

Fraser Kemp: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many convictions there were for the offence of driving without insurance in each of the last five years.

Claire Ward: The number of findings of guilt for using a motor vehicle uninsured against third party risks in England and Wales from 2003 to 2007 is shown in the following table.
	An amendment to the Road Traffic Offenders Act 1988, s. 143 made driving a motor vehicle while uninsured against third party risks a fixed penalty offence as from 1 June 2003. Initially, offenders are, when appropriate, offered a 200 fixed penalty; this can be increased to a maximum of 5,000 if the matter goes to court.
	2008 data will be available in the autumn of 2009.
	
		
			  Number of findings of guilt for using a motor vehicle uninsured against third party risks at all courts, England and Wales, 2003 to 2007( 1,2,3) 
			   Proceeded against 
			 2003 323,372 
			 2004 322,816 
			 2005 289,348 
			 2006 267,673 
			 2007 232,811 
			 (1) Includes offences under the Road Traffic Act 1988 s. 143 (2). (2) It is known that for some police force areas the reporting of court proceedings, in particular those relating to summary motoring offences, may be less than complete. (3) Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their limitations are taken into account when those data are used.  Source:  Office for Criminal Justice ReformEvidence and Analysis unit.

Electoral Register

David Crausby: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what steps he is taking to encourage people to complete and return electoral registration forms.

Michael Wills: Encouraging people to complete and return electoral registration forms is the responsibility of electoral registration officers (EROs), in local authorities, under a duty placed on them by section 9 of the Electoral Administration Act 2006 (EA Act), which requires them to take all necessary steps to maintain the electoral register, including sending the canvass form more than once, inspecting such records that the ERO is allowed to inspect, and making house to house inquiries.
	The EA Act also provided for the Electoral Commission to introduce a performance standards framework for EROs. The standards provide a framework within which the performance of EROs in registering people can be assessed, and targeted work undertaken to drive up performance where necessary. The first assessments against these standards were published on 21 April 2009 and are available on the Commission's website.
	The Government also established a funding mechanism to support novel and innovative projects and activities which EROs and returning officers take forward in pursuance of their duty, under section 69 of the EA Act to encourage electoral participation. Through this, funding has been made available for a range of schemes to support registration.
	In addition, the Government recently legislated in the Political Parties and Elections Act 2009 for the phased implementation of Individual Registration (IR) in Great Britain. This will be supported by a programme of work to drive up registration rates in Great Britain, enhancing both the comprehensiveness and accuracy of the electoral registers.
	This programme will include: data matching pilots between EROs and local authorities to support registration; and secondary legislation to support registration amongst service voters, enhance data sharing in areas where there are two tier local authorities, and clarify that the section 9 duty applies all year round. The Government have also initiated a registration poster campaign in Citizens Advice Bureaux, the network of HM courts in England, Wales and Scotland and Jobcentre Plus offices.
	Figures released by the Office for National Statistics show that during the last three years registration rates continued to rise. As of 1 December 2008 the number of UK parliamentary electors rose to 45.2 million.

Fines: Drugs

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the  (a) lowest,  (b) average and  (c) highest fine given to a person convicted of possession of (i) cannabis, (ii) ecstasy, (iii) cocaine, (iv) crack cocaine and (v) heroin has been in each year since 1997.

Claire Ward: The requested information is shown in the following table:
	
		
			  Average, maximum and minimum fine amounts imposed at all cou rts by drug type and year, 1997 to  2007 , England and Wales 
			Fine 
			  Drug type and year   Minimum ()  Maximum ()  Average () 
			  Cannabis 1997 5 2,400 82.06 
			  1998 5 3,060 78.27 
			  1999 5 1,300 75.41 
			  2000 5 3,350 74.87 
			  2001 5 2,000 72.12 
			  2002 5 2,000 66.27 
			  2003 5 5,000 70.58 
			  2004 5 5,000 71.14 
			  2005 5 5,000 73.65 
			  2006 5 1,000 78.90 
			  2007 5 1,400 80.93 
			  
			  Cocaine 1997 25 5,000 624.50 
			  1998 100 700 227.78 
			  1999 50 500 271.88 
			  2000 75 200 124.00 
			  2001 50 250 136.11 
			  2002 40 2,500 366.92 
			  2003 30 750 215.53 
			  2004 100 1,000 371.43 
			  2005 50 4,000 670.71 
			  2006 30 750 293.33 
			  2007 30 1,000 326.05 
			  
			  Crack cocaine 1997 180 180 180.00 
			  1998 75 100 83.33 
			  1999 125 200 162.50 
			  2000 50 50 50.00 
			  2001 100 300 190.00 
			  2002 100 150 125.00 
			  2003 75 75 75.00 
			  2004 50 250 183.33 
			  2005 50 1,500 321.43 
			  2006 20 120 80.00 
			  2007 25 60 38.33 
			  
			  Ecstasy (MDMA) 1997 40 750 209.33 
			  1998 100 750 269.09 
			  1999 75 2,000 359.06 
			  2000 50 1,000 246.50 
			  2001 100 1,500 403.00 
			  2002 50 1,000 291.14 
			  2003 40 1,000 356.46 
			  2004 75 650 272.50 
			  2005 100 1,000 500.00 
			  2006 100 500 210.00 
			  2007 250 2,500 678.57 
			  
			  Heroin 1997 70 2,000 406.25 
			  1998 50 300 155.77 
			  1999 50 500 194.44 
			  2000 75 300 161.25 
			  2001 25 600 163.75 
			  2002 60 250 142.78 
			  2003 60 2,500 455.00 
			  2004 25 100 58.33 
			  2005 80 300 155.00 
			  2006 25 240 103.75 
			  2007 25 100 65.83 
			  Source:  OMS Analytical Services, Ministry of Justice. 
		
	
	These figures have been drawn from administrative data systems. Although care is taken when processing and analysing the returns, the detail collected is subject to the inaccuracies inherent in any large scale recording system.
	When a case is referred to Court, the amount of the fine is based not only on the nature of the offence and mitigation presented, but also on the Defendant's ability to pay. The Court will establish the latter by way of the Statement of Means which is a questionnaire designed to clarify the Defendant's income and outgoings.

Libel: Internet

Paul Farrelly: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what progress his Department has made in its review of the effects of the internet on the operation of libel laws.

Bridget Prentice: We published a consultation paper Defamation and the Internet: the multiple publication rule on 16 September 2009. This consultation seeks views on the effect of the multiple publication rule (which provides that each publication of defamatory material can form the basis of a new cause of action) in relation to online archives and will close on 16 December 2009.
	The Government will consider other issues in relation to the law of libel in the light of any recommendations that the Department for Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee may wish to make in its forthcoming report on its inquiry into Press Standards, Privacy and Libel.

Lockerbie: Bombings

David Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice whether the Government 
	(1)  received representations from the US administration at the time of his decision to alter the terms of the proposed UK-Libya Prisoner Transfer Agreement so that it did not exclude the case of Mr al-Megrahi; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  informed the US administration at the time of its decision to alter the terms of the proposed UK-Libya Prisoner Transfer Agreement so that it did not exclude the case of Mr al-Megrahi; and if he will make a statement.

Jack Straw: Throughout the negotiations on the prisoner transfer agreement (PTA) between the United Kingdom and Libya the US Government were kept informed of developments. The United States Government maintained their view that Mr. Al-Megrahi should serve out his sentence in Scotland.
	It was always the position of the UK Government that excluding Mr. Megrahi from the terms of the treaty was not necessary. The PTA did not confer a right to transfer on prisoners. Transfer could only take place if both Governments concerned agreed. In the event that Mr. Megrahi's application under the PTA was refused by the Scottish Executive.

National Offender Management Service: Finance

Edward Garnier: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the budget of each major area of expenditure of the National Offender Management Service is for 2009-10.

Jack Straw: The budget of the National Offender Management Service (NOMS) for 2009-10 by major area of expenditure as published in the 2009 Main Estimates, is shown in the following table:
	
		
			  2009-10 Departmental expenditure limits 
			   ( million) 
			 NOMS HQ 332.6 
			 NOMS Operations 3,477.9 
			 National Probation Boards Grant in aid (includes 3 million capital) 783.4 
			 Total 4,593.9 
		
	
	Since the creation of the new NOMS agency in 2008, there is no longer a natural separation of budgets and expenditure between HQ and other services and the methodology used for the above classification has proved difficult to maintain. It is intended to propose an amendment to this classification in a Supplementary Estimate to make HQ synonymous with the Administration classification also used in the Estimates. Taking into account this proposed amendment, the NOMS resource budget can be broken down over the following more detailed headings:
	
		
			  ( million) 
			 NOMS HQ 124 
			 Public prisons 1,980 
			 Private prisons 284 
			 Probation (Boards and Trusts) 898 
			 Prisoner Escort Services (PECS) 162 
			 Electronic monitoring 92 
			 Capacity Directorate (Major maintenance, property costs and increasing prison capacity) 662 
			 Other programme spend supporting Operational Delivery 389 
			 Total 4,591 
		
	
	There is no current breakdown of the NOMS budget for 2010-11 as decisions have not been made on allocation of 2010-11 budgets.

Prison Accommodation

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what recent steps his Department has taken to improve prison conditions.

Jack Straw: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave him on 7 July 2009,  Official Report, columns 668-69W.
	The National Offender Management Service has a statutory duty to hold all prisoners in decent conditions.
	As part of our commitment to increase the capacity of the prison estate to 96,000 places, we are building new prisons and expanding existing prisons. The new buildings produced by this capacity programme are providing modern accommodation that is fully compliant with relevant standards such as the new safer cell specification.
	In addition, on 27 April I announced that, instead of building three 2,500 place Titan prisons, we plan to build five 1,500 place prisons. Our model will draw on best practice in the existing estate to provide first class regimes that will help offenders address their offending behaviour. The 7,500 places provided by these new prisons will allow for the closure of some of the most worn out places.
	These measures support our aim, not only to provide additional capacity, but to modernise the estate and improve the quality of accommodation.
	For existing accommodation, we have a rolling programme of refurbishment that allows the critical maintenance of the estate to be undertaken.

Prison Sentences

Edward Garnier: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the average  (a) tariff and  (b) time served by offenders sentenced to (i) a mandatory life sentence and (ii) a discretionary life sentence was in each of the last 10 years.

Jack Straw: Details of prisoners' releases are published in the 'Offender Management Caseload Statistics' (OMCS) produced by Offender Management and Sentence Analytical Services in the Ministry of Justice. This is available in the Library of the House and is available at:
	http://www.justice.gov.uk/pulicatons/statistics
	OMCS provides details of the time served by offenders sentenced to a mandatory life sentence, and by all other life sentenced offenders, not including offenders serving an indeterminate sentence of imprisonment for public protection (IPP).
	Disaggregating the time served by those serving discretionary from the other life sentenced offenders in OMCS would incur disproportionate costs.
	The following table sets out the average time, by number of years, served by mandatory and other lifers, by year of release:
	
		
			   Mandatory Lifers  Other Lifers 
			 1998 13 14 
			 1999 13 16 
			 2000 13 11 
			 2001 13 9 
			 2002 14 9 
			 2003 15 12 
			 2004 14 9 
			 2005 14 6 
			 2006 14 7 
			 2007 16 9 
			 2008 16 9 
		
	
	The following table sets out the average tariff length for sentences received in the same time period, for mandatory lifers and other lifers (not including indeterminate sentences for public protection), rounded to the nearest year, by year and sentence. As with any large scale recording system, they are subject to possible errors arising from either data entry or processing.
	
		
			   Mandatory Lifers  Other Lifers 
			 1998 13 6 
			 1999 14 6 
			 2000 14 5 
			 2001 14 5 
			 2002 13 5 
			 2003 14 5 
			 2004 15 6 
			 2005 16 6 
			 2006 19 8 
			 2007 17 11 
			 2008 18 11

Prison Service: Finance

Neil Gerrard: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the difference was between the budget and the expenditure outturn for the Prison Service in the financial years  (a) 2005-06,  (b) 2006-07 and  (c) 2007-08.

Maria Eagle: The budget and expenditure outturn figures for HM Prison Service (HMPS) are as follows:
	
		
			  () 
			   Resource  b udget  Outturn  e xpenditure  Underspend/(Overspend) 
			 2007-08 2,057,504,000 2,053,165,000 4,339,000 
			 2006-07 1,931,243,000 1,931,851,000 (608,000) 
			 2005-06 1,792,965,000 1,826,031,000 (33,066,000)

Prisoner Escapes

Edward Garnier: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many prisoners escaped from each open prison in England and Wales in each of the last  (a) 12 months and  (b) 12 years for which figures are available; for which offence each prisoner was originally convicted; and which prisoners are still unlawfully at large.

Maria Eagle: Escapes involve a prisoner absenting himself from prison custody without lawful authority by overcoming a physical security restraint such as that provided by fences, locks, bolts and bars, a secure vehicle or handcuffs. Absconds occur where a prisoner absents himself or herself from prison custody without lawful authority and without overcoming physical security barriers or restraints, conditions typically found in open prisons. Absconds have been falling and last year recorded the lowest number of absconds on record.
	The data in table 1 show the number of prisoners who have absconded from each open prison in England and Wales for the last 12 months and numbers of prisoners who remain unlawfully at large.
	Table 2 shows the number of prisoners who have absconded from each open prison in England and Wales for the last 12 years and numbers of prisoners who remain unlawfully at large. Figures for prisoners unlawfully at large prior to April 2004,are not available centrally and could be produced only at disproportionate cost.
	Table 3 shows the index offences of prisoners who have absconded from each open prison since April 2004. Data are not available centrally prior to this period and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
	All those located in open conditions have been risk assessed and categorised as being of low risk to the public. Time spent in open prisons affords prisoners the opportunity to find work, re-establish family ties, reintegrate into the community and ensure housing needs are met. For long-term prisoners these are essential components for successful resettlement and an important factor in protecting the public.
	Prisons can and do take a variety of actions to try and reduce absconds. Open prisons operate intelligence systems to try and spot those who might be planning to abscond; prisoners are screened and those who are at significant risk of absconding are sent back to closed conditions; in many areas the prison, police and CPS are working together to maximise the prosecution of absconders to provide a deterrent to others who may be thinking of doing the same.
	
		
			  Table 1: Numbers of prisoners who have absconded from open prisons in England and Wales for the last 12 months (first row for each prison) and those who remain unlawfully at large  (second row for each prison) 
			   2008  2009 
			  Establishments  Jul  Aug  Sept  Oct  Nov  Dec  Jan  Feb  Mar  Apr  May  Jun 
			 Askham Grange 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 1 0 0 
			  0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Blantyre House 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			  0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Drake Hall 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			  0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 East Sutton Park 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			  0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Ford 3 7 5 6 5 4 4 2 4 2 1 0 
			  0 1 2 2 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 
			 Grendon/Springhill 0 3 1 1 1 0 0 1 1 0 3 5 
			  0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 
			 Hewell 0 0 3 3 0 0 0 1 2 1 5 4 
			  0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 3 
			 Hollesley Bay 1 3 1 1 1 3 0 0 2 2 1 2 
			  0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 
			 Kirkham 1 2 4 5 6 4 0 3 0 4 0 2 
			  0 1 1 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Kirklevington 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 3 0 0 0 
			  0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Latchmere House 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			  0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Leyhill 6 5 5 5 6 4 0 6 3 0 3 3 
			  2 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 
			 Moorland 2 4 6 1 3 1 1 3 4 3 3 5 
			  0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 2 
			 Morton Hall 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			  0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 North Sea Camp 0 1 1 4 4 1 0 0 0 0 3 1 
			  0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 
			 Norwich (Resettlement Unit) 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 
			  0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Standford Hill 1 7 1 2 3 15 1 2 1 2 1 5 
			  0 1 0 0 1 2 0 1 0 0 0 0 
			 Sudbury 2 2 0 2 1 2 4 1 4 3 1 1 
			  1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Thorn Cross 1 1 2 6 0 4 3 1 3 7 2 2 
			  0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 
			 Usk/Prescoed 2 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 
			  0 0 0 0  0 0 0 0 0 1 0 
			  Note: The second row of each establishment shows the number of prisoners still unlawfully at large. 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 2: Numbers of prisoners who have absconded from open prisons in England and Wales for the last 12 years (first row for each prison) and those who remain unlawfully at large  (second row for each prison) 
			  Establishments  1997-98  1998-99  1999-2000  2000-01  2001-02  2002-03  2003-04  2004-05  2005-06  2006-07  2007-08  2008-09 
			 Askham Grange 35 17 20 21 19 12 31 12 14 7 11 4 
			 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Blantyre House 1 0 0 0 1 1 0 1 1 0 0 0 
			 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Drake Hall(1) 122 134 94 39 33 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 
			 0 0 0 0 0 
			 East Sutton Park 5 3 3 3 3 0 1 2 4 2 0 0 
			 0 3 1 0 0 
			 Ford 53 40 68 57 57 91 142 110 96 62 47 53 
			 3 10 10 2 8 
			 Grendon/Springhill 20 9 14 14 12 23 60 36 34 11 21 10 
			 3 2 0 0 0 
			 Hatfield(2) 77 80 36 34 50 56 0 0 0 0 0 36 
			 0 0 0 0 1 
			 Hewell Grange(3) 40 17 32 20 15 23 31 24 24 13 15 16 
			 1 1 1 1 1 
			 Hollesley Bay 13 25 11 24 8 14 36 32 16 21 19 17 
			 2 1 2 1 0 
			 Kirkham 234 202 171 169 163 208 213 120 74 54 65 42 
			 2 2 0 1 3 
			 Kirklevington(4) 0 2 0 0 0 1 0 4 2 0 0 6 
			 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Latchmere House(5) 2 0 0 1 2 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Leyhill 20 25 34 25 19 33 114 102 66 37 55 58 
			 5 2 1 4 4 
			 Moorland(2) 1 1 0 0 0 0 68 73 49 41 23 36 
			 0 1 0 0 1 
			 Morton Hall(6) 20 15 23 6 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 
			 0 0 1 0 0 
			 North Sea Camp 25 32 27 24 36 34 79 33 49 48 46 17 
			 0 2 0 0 1 
			 Norwich (Resettlement Unit)(7) 2 0 0 0 1 0 0 8 2 2 1 1 
			 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Standford Hill 35 36 43 29 37 83 89 39 58 38 44 46 
			 3 7 0 2 6 
			 Sudbury 81 75 63 69 81 68 75 77 76 78 55 23 
			 0 2 2 0 2 
			 Thorn Cross 168 135 147 110 135 152 130 90 105 82 68 24 
			 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Usk/Prescoed 7 13 19 14 5 8 35 19 9 9 8 6 
			 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Wealstun 48 70 72 105 79 101 144 74 28 46 32 1 
			 0 0 0 0 0 
			 (1) Drake Hall changed role to Semi Open in 2001-02 from Open (2) Hatfield merged with Moorland in 2003-04 (3) Hewell - changed of name from Hewell Grange June 2008 (4) Kirklevington changed role to Semi Open in 2001-02 from Category C (5) Latchmere House changed role to Semi Open in 2001-02 from Open (6) Morton Hall changed role to Semi Open in 2001-02 from Open (7) Norwich - Open Resettlement Unit  Notes: 1. Figures for prisoners unlawfully at large are unavailable centrally prior to April 2004. 2. The second row of each establishment shows the number of prisoners still unlawfully at large 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 3: Breakdown of prisoners absconding from prisons in England and Wales between April 2004 to March 2009 showing main index offence 
			  Main Index Offence  Askham Grange  Blantyre House  East Sutton Park  Ford  Grendon/Springhill  Hewell  Hollesley Bay  Kirkham  Kirklevington 
			 Administer poison  
			 Affray2 1   5  
			 Aggravated burglary 1   2 4 1 2 5 1 
			 Arson   1   
			 Arson with intent  
			 Assault a police officer31  
			 Assault occasioning ABH4 2 1 1 4  
			 Assault with intent to cause ABH1  
			 Assault with intent to resist arrest1  
			 Assault with intent to rob  
			 Assisting illegal immigrants11  
			 Attempt to commit rape  
			 Attempt to commit theft 1   1  
			 Attempt to pervert the course of justice32  
			 Attempted burglary 1   3  1  1  
			 Attempted deception1  
			 Attempted murder 1 
			 Attempted robbery3 3 3 2 6  
			 Being carried in a stolen vehicle  
			 Blackmail1  
			 Breach of Bail 1   1  
			 Breach of combination order1  
			 Breach of community service order2  1 1 4  
			 Breach of drug testing and treatment order61  
			 Breach of probation order2  
			 Breach of restraining order  
			 Breach of supervision order 1 
			 Breach of suspended sentence3 1 1 2 6  
			 Burglary 5  1 48 23 25 20 91 4 
			 Burglary of a dwelling place 1   37 3 1 3 15  
			 Burglary of a non- dwelling place7 2 
			 Causing an explosion or placing explosive1  
			 Common assault5   1   
			 Conspiracy to cause affray  
			 Conspiracy to commit a kidnap  
			 Conspiracy to commit burglary21  
			 Conspiracy to commit a robbery13  
			 Conspiracy to commit a theft 3   3  1 2 3  
			 Conspiracy to defraud5 2 
			 Conspiracy to import drugs1  
			 Conspiracy to supply drugs 5 1  3  1  10  
			 Conspiracy to riot  
			 Contempt of court  
			 Criminal damage1  
			 Customs evasion1  
			 Customs evasion (drugs related)   1 5 1  4   
			 Customs evasion (not drugs related)  
			 Death by reckless driving2 3  2 1  
			 Debts 1 
			 Deception10 1 2  1  
			 Driving under the influence of drink/drugs3 1   1  
			 Driving whilst disqualified19 4 4 6 16  
			 Drunk1  
			 Escape1  
			 Escape lawful custody2  
			 Fail to surrender  
			 Failure to provide specimen   1   
			 False imprisonment6  1
			 False instruments   1   
			 Forgery  
			 Fraud  1  4 1 
			 GBH2   1   
			 Going equipped to cheat  
			 Going equipped for stealing1  
			 Handling stolen goods   1 2 4  3 7  
			 Holding warrant 2   5  1  4  
			 Illegal immigrant/detainee3 1  1 1  
			 Import/export/drug   2 14 3 1 1   
			 Inflict grievous bodily harm 1   4 2 4 5 5  
			 Kidnapping  2
			 Libel3  
			 Make off without paying  
			 Making threats to kill  1  1  
			 Manslaughter 1  1 4  1 1 1  
			 Murder9 2 3  4  
			 Obscene telephone calls  
			 Other burglary offences6 3 4 2 9 1 
			 Other criminal offences3  1  3  
			 Other driving offences  
			 Other fraud/deception/ financial offences  
			 Other violence offences  
			 Perjury  
			 Possession of drugs 1   21  
			 Possession of drugs with intent to supply 1   7 3 2 8 20  
			 Possession of an offensive weapon4   1 3  
			 Possession of firearm with intent, endanger life4 4 2  3  
			 Rape  
			 Receiving stolen goods1  
			 Reckless driving8 1  2 6  
			 Road traffic Act (No/Lic/lights/bald tyres etc)  
			 Robbery 9  2 37 18 14 19 41 1 
			 Sec 40 convictions during original sentence 1   1 2 3 1   
			 Supplying drugs 11   13 2 3 3 14 2 
			 Taking and driving away7 2  2 9  
			 Theft 1   20 3 5 2 26  
			 Threatening/disorderly behaviour 1  1   
			 Treason  1
			 Trespass1  
			 Trespass with intent1  
			 Vehicle interference  1
			 Violent disorder1  
			 Wounding with intent to inflict GBH 1   1 5   7  
			 Wounding (inflicting GBH)2   2 4  
			 Recorded offence not available 2   1   1  3 
			 Total 48 2 8 368 112 92 105 355 12 
		
	
	
		
			  Main Index Offence  Leyhill  Moorland  North Sea Camp  Norwich  Standford Hill  Sudbury  Thorn Cross  Usk/  Prescoed  Wealstun 
			 Administer poison 1 
			 Affray 2 4   2 1 1   
			 Aggravated burglary 2 4 1  4 5 3  4 
			 Arson 2  1 1  3 1 1 3 
			 Arson with intent 1  3   
			 Assault a police officer 1  2  1 
			 Assault occasioning ABH 4 5 2  3 2 8  3 
			 Assault with intent to cause ABH  2   1 
			 Assault with intent to resist arrest  
			 Assault with intent to rob  11 3   
			 Assisting illegal immigrants 2 
			 Attempt to commit rape1  
			 Attempt to commit theft 1  1  21 
			 Attempt to pervert the course of justice  1 1   
			 Attempted burglary 1 1  1 11 
			 Attempted deception 1 
			 Attempted murder 2 1   1 1
			 Attempted robbery 6 8  1 3 16 20 1 3 
			 Being carried in a stolen vehicle   1   
			 Blackmail 1 2 1   
			 Breach of Bail 1 
			 Breach of combination order  1 1   
			 Breach of community service order 1 2 1   
			 Breach of drug testing and treatment order  1 2  1 1  1  
			 Breach of probation order  1 2   
			 Breach of restraining order 1 
			 Breach of supervision order  1 7  1 
			 Breach of suspended sentence 1 2 8  2 1 1 1 3 
			 Burglary 81 61 56 4 45 76 94 11 42 
			 Burglary of a dwelling place 13 2 7  10 5 10  4 
			 Burglary of a non- dwelling place 11  2  1 
			 Causing an explosion or placing explosive  1
			 Common assault   1  2  2  1 
			 Conspiracy to cause affray   1   
			 Conspiracy to commit a kidnap 1 
			 Conspiracy to commit burglary   1  1 2 1 1 1 
			 Conspiracy to commit a robbery  2   1 3
			 Conspiracy to commit a theft 6 2 3  3 3 2 1 1 
			 Conspiracy to defraud 2 1
			 Conspiracy to import drugs 1 
			 Conspiracy to supply drugs 1 1 3  2 5 2 1 1 
			 Conspiracy to riot 1 
			 Contempt of court 1 
			 Criminal damage   1  1  2   
			 Customs evasion  
			 Customs evasion (drugs related) 2  1   2
			 Customs evasion (not drugs related)   1   
			 Death by reckless driving 2 3 2   3 3 2 3 
			 Debts  
			 Deception 3 2 2  3 2   3 
			 Driving under the influence of drink/drugs 1   2 1 
			 Driving whilst disqualified 6 2 8  14 1 2 4 9 
			 Drunk   1  1 
			 Escape 2 
			 Escape lawful custody 4  12   
			 Fail to surrender 1  1  1 
			 Failure to provide specimen  1
			 False imprisonment1 3 1
			 False instruments 1  1   1
			 Forgery   1   
			 Fraud 2 1
			 GBH 3 1   4  1   
			 Going equipped to cheat 2 
			 Going equipped for stealing 1 
			 Handling stolen goods 6 1 2  3 1 1  4 
			 Holding warrant 4 8   1 4   5 
			 Illegal immigrant/detainee  
			 Import/export/drug 4  1  2 4
			 Inflict grievous bodily harm 11 5 5 1 3 9 5 1 7 
			 Kidnapping  1 2 1  
			 Libel  
			 Make off without paying   1   
			 Making threats to kill  1
			 Manslaughter 2 1 2   3 2  1 
			 Murder 11  5  5 15  1 3 
			 Obscene telephone calls 1 
			 Other burglary offences 5 2 1  5 5 1 3 4 
			 Other criminal offences 1 1
			 Other driving offences   1   
			 Other fraud/deception/ financial offences 11 
			 Other violence offences   1   
			 Perjury   1   
			 Possession of drugs 4 2 2   2 1  3 
			 Possession of drugs with intent to supply 11 13 5  10 15 20 3 8 
			 Possession of an offensive weapon 1 2   1 2  1 1 
			 Possession of firearm with intent, endanger life 6 1 4  4 8 1  1 
			 Rape 4  1 1  
			 Receiving stolen goods1 2 1
			 Reckless driving 2 3 4 1 4 2 16 1 3 
			 Road traffic Act ( No/Lic/lights/bald tyres etc)  1
			 Robbery 51 38 17 1 18 52 67 9 28 
			 Sec 40 convictions during original sentence 2 1 2  1 1 4  2 
			 Supplying drugs 9 14 6  5 19 12 1 9 
			 Taking and driving away 3 1 3  3 2 25  3 
			 Theft 14 9 13  20 10 8 1 7 
			 Threatening/disorderly behaviour   2   
			 Treason 2 
			 Trespass  1
			 Trespass with intent 3 
			 Vehicle interference 1 
			 Violent disorder   1   2 4   
			 Wounding with intent to inflict GBH 5 3 2 2 4 5 16 1 2 
			 Wounding (inflicting GBH) 5 3 1   2 8  2 
			 Recorded offence not available 1 2   1 
			 Total 318 222 193 14 225 309 369 51 181 
			  Note: These figures have been drawn from administrative data systems. Although care is taken when processing and analysing the returns, the detail collected is subject to the inaccuracies inherent in any large scale recording system.

Prisoners Release: Reoffenders

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  how many early release prisoners have been re-arrested following release  (a) since 1997 and  (b) in the last 12 months;
	(2)  how many prisoners released under early release schemes in each year since 1997 were since convicted of offences of  (a) murder and  (b) rape.

Jack Straw: Determinate sentenced prisoners may be released into the community earlier than the halfway point of their sentence only under either the End of Custody Licence (ECL) scheme or the Home Detention Curfew (HDC) scheme. Indeterminate sentenced prisoners are not eligible for early release.
	The Ministry of Justice does not hold centrally details of all offenders released on ECL or HDC who have been re-arrested. The Department does hold data on the number of offenders released on HDC or ECL who were recalled to custody following release. An arrest in itself may not result in a recallfor example, where the police investigation does not result in any charges, the decision may be taken not to recall the offender.
	Data on ECL releases, recalls and alleged re-offending is published every month on the following website:
	http://www.justice.gov.uk/publications/endofcustodylicence.htm
	The numbers recalled from ECL since the scheme's inception for all reasons are shown in Table 1.
	
		
			  Table 1 
			   Number 
			 29 June to 31 December 2007 564 
			 1 January to 31 December 2008 1,030 
			 1 January to 31 July 2009 583 
		
	
	The numbers of HDC recalls since its inception in January 1999 are published in the annual Offender Management Caseload Statistics and are shown in Table 2.
	
		
			  Table 2: HDC recalls since 1999 
			  Year of recall  Numbers recalled 
			 1999 700 
			 2000 769 
			 2001 673 
			 2002 1,479 
			 2003 2,716 
			 2004 3,003 
			 2005 2,627 
			 2006 2,184 
			 2007 1,654 
			 2008 1,442 
		
	
	As regards those prisoners who were released early and were subsequently convicted of murder or rape, the National Offender Management Service (NOMS) holds information on the number of offenders, whose cases were notified in line with Serious Further Offence (SFO) procedures, who had been released on licence and subsequently convicted of  (a) murder and  (b) rape, for the years 2006-07, 2007-08 and 2008-09. To provide the full set of information from 1997 would require manual checking of files, which could be undertaken only at disproportionate cost.
	Of those released on HDC or ECL from 2006-07 onwards, NOMS has been notified that there have been four convictions for murder and two convictions for rape, as shown in Table 3.
	
		
			  Table 3 
			   HDC  Year of conviction  ECL  Year of conviction 
			 Murder 2 1 in 2008 2 1 in 2007 
			   1 in 2009  1 in 2009 
			  
			 Rape 1 1 in 2008 1 1 in 2008

Prisoners Release: Terrorism

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  how many people convicted of terrorist offences and sentenced to more than 12 months' imprisonment have been released early from prison since 2001;
	(2)  how many people convicted of terrorism offences in the UK since 2001 have been released early from prison;
	(3)  how many members of the prison population have been convicted of terrorism offences in each year since 2001;
	(4)  how many people convicted of terrorism offences in the UK have been released to bail hostels accommodation since 2001.

Jack Straw: Eligible prisoners may be released earlier than the halfway point of their sentence under the Home Detention Curfew (HDC) or End of Custody Licence (ECL) schemes. Foreign national prisoners who are to be deported may also be liable for early removal under the Early Removal Scheme (ERS).
	Prisoners serving sentences for any offence under terrorism legislation have been presumed unsuitable for release on HDC since 4 April 2008 and excluded from release on ECL since 28 March 2008. It has also been decided that, with effect from 16 October 2008, early removal under ERS should not be granted to prisoners convicted under terrorism legislation offences.
	Prior to those decisions being taken, three prisoners convicted of terrorism offences were released on the HDC scheme: two in 2003 and one in 2007. All were serving sentences of 12 months or more.
	Two prisoners were released on ECL during 2008 whilst serving sentences for terrorism offences: one in January 2008 and one in February 2008. One of those prisoners was serving a sentence of 12 months or more.
	No prisoners serving sentences for terrorism offences have been removed early under the ERS scheme.
	Information regarding the number of individuals convicted of terrorism or terrorism related offences can be found in the Home Office Statistical Bulletin on Terrorism Arrests and Outcomes which was published for the first time on 13 May 2009 and is available on the Home Office website. This bulletin is intended to be the first in a regular series of publications which will help improve the quality of data publicly available on terrorism arrests and their outcomes.
	Data about offenders released into approved premises (formerly known as bail/probation hostels) has been collected centrally only since April 2004, from information supplied by individual approved premises. The data collected does not include offence details and no other centrally held information includes details of the numbers of terrorist offenders released to approved premises dating back to 2001. Tracking this information down would have to be done on a case by case basis and as such would prove disproportionately expensive. However, since September 2008 information on the release details of individuals convicted of terrorism or terrorism related offences has been held centrally and 11 terrorist offenders have been released to approved premises since then.
	These figures have been drawn from administrative IT systems, which, as with any large scale recording system, are subject to possible errors with data entry and processing.

Prisoners: Epilepsy

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  what information is given to people with epilepsy on the care they will receive on their entry to  (a) a prison and  (b) a young offender institution;
	(2)  how many people diagnosed with epilepsy died in  (a) prisons and  (b) young offender institutions in each of the last five years;
	(3)  on how many occasions emergency medical care has been requested to treat people with epilepsy suffering a seizure in  (a) prisons and  (b) young offender institutions in each of the last five years;
	(4)  how many people diagnosed with epilepsy were allocated to a single cell in  (a) prisons and  (b) young offender institutions in each of the last five years;
	(5)  how many people diagnosed with epilepsy entered status epilepticus while held in  (a) prisons and  (b) young offender institutions in each of the last five years.

Maria Eagle: Offenders are now all screened on arrival in prison by a trained nurse or trained officer to find out what their health needs are and get them the right treatment.
	The Department of Health and the Prison Reform Trust have recently published two new information books for prisoners with a disability. The first book is a short, easy-read version for prisoners with learning disabilities, the second book contains more in depth detail for prisoners on their health, daily life, and how to get help in prison and on release this includes information on epilepsy.
	Epilepsy action has produced information giving clear, straightforward information about epilepsy, relevant for staff supervising prisoners with epilepsy and for prisoners. This is available online at:
	www.epilepsy.org.uk
	The online printable information includes:
	Epilepsy facts and important things to know about anti-epileptic drugs
	Cell and bunk allocation
	Safety
	Risk of dying from epilepsy and sudden unexpected death in epilepsy
	Employment and safety at work
	Types of seizures (fits) and non-epileptic attack disorder
	Myths and misunderstandingsinformation for prison staff
	The Department of Health will shortly be writing to all prison and young offender institution heads of health care about the NICE guidelines on epilepsy and the Epilepsy Action information booklets.
	There is no information held centrally on the number of offenders diagnosed with epilepsy who died in prisons and young offender institutions, on how many occasions emergency medical care has been requested to treat people with epilepsy having a seizure in prisons and young offender institutions, how many people diagnosed with epilepsy were allocated to a single cell in prisons and young offender institutions and how many people diagnosed with epilepsy entered status epilepticus while held in prisons and young offender institutions in each of the last five years.

Prisoners: Epilepsy

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what guidance his Department provides to staff in  (a) prisons and  (b) young offender institutions on the effect of restraint techniques on people affected by seizures.

Maria Eagle: Control and restraint (CR) is a system of techniques used within both prisons and young offender institutions in order to bring a violent or non-compliant prisoner under control. CR is only applied in circumstances where it is necessary to do so and any force used is applied for as short a time as possible and only in proportion to the violence shown by the prisoner. Staff are instructed to avoid use of force wherever possible and instead to use persuasion or negotiation to end such incidents, however, this is not always possible.
	All staff in prisons and young offender institutions who employ CR techniques are trained in their use and undergo annual refresher training. This training includes recognition of the signs and symptoms that may indicate that a prisoner is in medical distress. Guidance on medical warning signs is also included in prison service order (PSO) 1600Use of Force(1).
	A member of health care must, wherever reasonably practicable, attend every incident where staff are deployed to restrain violent or disturbed prisoners. Health care staff are authorised to terminate any use of force in the event of a medical emergency.
	(1) Available at:
	http://pso.hmprisonservice.gov.uk/pso1600/default.htm

Prisoners: Learning Disability

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many prisoners diagnosed with a learning disability have been transferred from prison to secure units in each strategic health authority region in each of the last five years.

Claire Ward: Information is not available in the form requested. However, information is available on the number of prisoners with a diagnosis of 'mental impairment' or 'severe mental impairment' within the terms of the Mental Health Act 1983 who have been transferred from prison to a secure hospital unit in England and Wales in the last five years. Individuals in these categories will almost invariably have a learning disability. The figures are shown in the following table. A breakdown by strategic health authority is not available.
	
		
			   Number transferred 
			 2004 33 
			 2005 47 
			 2006 55 
			 2007 49 
			 2008 49

Prisoners: Mentally Ill

Anne Milton: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many prisoners with mental illnesses have been transferred from prison to hospital (a) six months,  (b) one month and  (c) a week before their release date in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement.

Claire Ward: The information requested is shown in the table. The number of transferred prisoners includes both restricted and unrestricted patients, and includes prisoners suffering from all the categories of mental disorder defined in the Mental Health Act 1983 before its amendment with effect from 3 November 2008.
	
		
			(a) Six months  (b) One month  (c) One week  Period unknown 
			   Total number of transfers to hospital involving sentenced prisoners  Number  Percentage  Number  Percentage  Number  Percentage  Number  Percentage 
			 2004 405 155 38.3 102 25.2 72 17.8 15 3.7 
			 2005 414 181 43.7 119 28.7 82 19.8 7 1.7 
			 2006 488 208 42.6 121 24.8 77 15.8 14 2.9 
			 2007 455 202 44.4 116 25.5 82 18.0 1 0.2 
			 2008 508 206 40.6 119 23.4 79 15.6 2 0.4 
		
	
	Many of the prisoners who were transferred within one month or one week of their release date were serving short sentences of less than six months. The Secretary of State will only authorise a transfer very close to the end of sentence where he is satisfied on the basis of medical advice that it is justified by the prisoner's medical condition.

Prisoners: Mobile Phones

Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many mobile telephones were found in the possession of prisoners in  (a) top security and  (b) all other prisons in the last 12 months for which figures are available.

Maria Eagle: Prisons in England and Wales are asked to send mobile phones and SIM cards they find to a central unit for analysis. In the last 12 months (from July 2008-June 2009), 8,648 mobile phones and SIM cards were analysed. 255 were from the high security estate and 8,393 were from the non-high security estate. These figures include items discovered within prison perimeters and on entry to establishments. We do not keep central records of mobile phones found in the possession of prisoners.
	We believe that these figures may understate the actual number of finds, because they do not include items retained by the police for evidential purposes, and because in some instances prisons have not sent items for analysis. NOMS is putting in place new procedures to ensure that we have a more comprehensive picture in future. While the numbers of phones found indicates the scale of the challenge in tackling illicit mobile phones, it is also a reflection of prisons' increasing success in finding them and better reporting.
	NOMS is implementing a strategy to minimise the number of phones entering prisons, and to find or disrupt those that do enter. As part of the strategy, prisons have been provided with technologies to strengthen local security and searching strategies, in line with the recommendations in the Blakey report, Disrupting the Supply of Illicit Drugs into Prisons, published in July 2008. This includes the roll out of BOSS chairs to all prisons, and the deployment of other detection and disruption technologies, including mobile phone signal blockers.
	We have also strengthened the law, through the Offender Management Act 2007 (implemented in April 2008), which makes it a criminal offence with a punishment of up to two years' imprisonment to bring an unauthorised mobile phone or component part into a prison.

Prisons: Construction

Edward Garnier: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  what the estimated  (a) total capital construction cost excluding operation and maintenance and  (b) capital construction cost per prison place per year of lifespan excluding operation and maintenance is of each of the two planned 1,500 place prisons announced by his Department on 27 April 2009, should the prisons be delivered under similar contractual arrangements to current PFI prisons;
	(2)  how many new prison places have been brought on stream in each of the last 24 months for which figures are available; and what the estimated capital construction cost was per prison place per year of lifespan, excluding operation, maintenance and other costs.

Jack Straw: The framework approach used by the Prison Service for the new 1,500 place prisons is designed to introduce real competition into the procurement process for each prison, and the construction and operating costs are a key part of our commercial strategy to ensure value for money. It is therefore not possible to reveal the estimated costs at this stage of the procurement.
	The Core Capacity Programme aims to deliver approximately 12,500 places by 2012. The following table shows the number of places delivered in each month since October 2007 as part of this programme:
	
		
			   Number of places( 1) 
			 October 2007 0 
			 November 2007 366 
			 December 2007 60 
			 January 2008 60 
			 February 2008 100 
			 March 2008 642 
			 April 2008 240 
			 May 2008 395 
			 June 2008 240 
			 July 2008 0 
			 August 2008 102 
			 September 2008 449 
			 October 2008 132 
			 November 2008 269 
			 December 2008 106 
			 January 2009 190 
			 February 2009 92 
			 March 2009 82 
			 April 2009 29 
			 May 2009 212 
			 June 2009 29 
			 July 2009 34 
			 August 2009 41 
			 September 2009 400 
			 October 2009 0 
			 (1) Includes places delivered through new build accommodation, conversion of existing buildings and more effective use of the estate. 
		
	
	The average construction cost for the Core Capacity Programme (not all new build), including costs of providing ancillary facilities, and excluding running costs, is approximately 170,000 per place across the lifetime of the accommodation.

Prisons: Drugs

Edward Garnier: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what estimate he has made of the street value of all drugs used illegally in each  (a) adult prison and  (b) young offender institution in England and Wales in each of the last 10 years for which figures are available.

Maria Eagle: Information on the street value of drugs used illegally in prisons is not routinely available. Covert activity such as drug taking, by its nature, is very difficult to quantify. A report published in 2001 by the Home Office titled 'Sizing the UK market for illicit drugs' focused on a few specific drugs and estimated the value of the drugs trade in prisons as worth up to 24 million. Since that report, the level of drug misuse evidenced by the random drug testing positive rate has fallen by 36 per cent.

Prisons: Manpower

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many  (a) directors,  (b) senior managers and  (c) executive support and administration staff there were in each prison in each of the last five years.

Maria Eagle: Information on the number of  (a) directors,  (b) senior managers and  (c) executive support and administration staff in each prison over the last five years is shown in the following tables. The data provided covers the public sector and the contracted estate. Grading systems vary between the public and private sectors, and between individual contractors. Self reporting has been used in this response.
	
		
			  Staff in post for selected grades by establishment 2004-05 to 2008-09 
			   2004-05  2005-06  2006-07 
			  Name  Admin and Executive Support  Senior Managers  Director/ Senior Civil Servant  Admin and Executive Support  Senior Managers  Director/ Senior Civil Servant  Admin and Executive Support  Senior Managers  Director/ Senior Civil Servant 
			 Acklington 49 2  48 2  47 2  
			 Albany 37 2  44 2  45 1  
			 Altcourse (Private Prison) 45 7 1 47 7 1 51 7 1 
			 Ashfield (Private Prison) Data not supplied 
			 Ashwell 46 1  47 2  48 1  
			 Askham Grange 18 1  20 1  19 1  
			 Aylesbury 38 2  39 2  38 2  
			 Bedford 41 1  41 1  42 2  
			 Belmarsh 63 2  61 2  72 2  
			 Birmingham 71 4  73 4  72 4  
			 Blantyre House 9 1  8 1  11 1  
			 Blundeston 35 1  35 1  32 1  
			 Brinsford 49 2  51 2  44 2  
			 Bristol 44 3  44 3  39 3  
			 Brixton 50 4  45 4  38 4  
			 Bronzefield (Private Prison)(1)  
			 Buckley Hall 33 1  32 2  31 2  
			 Bullingdon 68 5  70 3  75 3  
			 Bullwood Hall 30 2  27 1  20 1  
			 Camp Hill 39 1  37 2  40 2  
			 Canterbury 20 1  18 1  17 1  
			 Cardiff 51 3  46 3  41 2  
			 Castington 41 3  43 3  44 4  
			 Channings Wood 43 2  46 2  39 4  
			 Chelmsford 49 1  46 1  54 1  
			 Coldingley 24 2  22 2  23 2  
			 Coltishall Operational in 2009 
			 Cookham Wood 18 1  22 1  21 1  
			 Dartmoor 47 1  45 1  43 1  
			 Deerbolt 40 2  48 2  46 2  
			 Doncaster (Private Prison) Data not supplied 
			 Dorchester 25 2  27 2  26 1  
			 Doncaster (Private Prison) Data not supplied 
			 Dover 16 1  17 1  16 2  
			 Downview 36  1 36 1  33 1 1 
			 Drake Hall 27 1  31 1  27 1  
			 Durham 66 1  63 2  61 1  
			 East Sutton Park 11 3  7 1  8 1  
			 Eastwood Park 34 1  34 1  40 1  
			 Edmunds Hill 21 1  30 1  31 1  
			 Elmley 56 2  55 2  21 1  
			 Erlestoke 41   41 1  32 1  
			 Everthorpe 42 1  39 1  46 1  
			 Exeter 46 2  50 1  42 1  
			 Featherstone 47 1  44 1  43   
			 Feltham 78 7  81 7  79 4  
			 Ford 37 2  30 1  30 1  
			 Forest Bank (Private Prison)(1)  
			 Foston Hall 28 1  30 1  31 1  
			 Frankland 67 6  67 5  68 6  
			 Full Sutton 42 4  39 3  41 2  
			 Garth 52 4  48 3  47 3  
			 Gartree 29 4  45 4  52 4  
			 Glen Parva 66 2  64 1  59 2  
			 Gloucester 35 1  34 1  34 1  
			 Grendon 46 10  45 9  43 10  
			 Guys Marsh 38 2  38 1  37 1  
			 Haslar 11 1  9 1  10 1  
			 Haverigg 45 1  45 2  45 3  
			 Hewell 105 5  105 5  110 5  
			 High Down 54 2 1 50 1 2 52 1 1 
			 Highpoint 53 3  56 4  56 2  
			 Hindley 57 5  54 4  53 4  
			 Hollesley Bay 15 1  20 1  22 1  
			 Holloway 40 4  46 6  47 4  
			 Holme House 64 2  61 2  61 3  
			 Hull 68 3  60 2  65 2  
			 Huntercombe 29 2  31 2  26 3  
			 Isle of Wight Cluster Operational in 2009 
			 Kennet   4   
			 Kingston 19 1  20 1  18   
			 Kirkham 48 1  49 1  38 2  
			 Kirklevington Grange 23 1  24 1  22 1  
			 Lancaster 31 1  29 1  28 1  
			 Lancaster Farms 60 3  58 3  52 2  
			 Latchmere House 11 1  11 1  12 1  
			 Leeds 75 2  67 3  72 4  
			 Leicester 33 1  38 2  37 1  
			 Lewes 45 1  45 1  39 1  
			 Leyhill 48 3  48 2  46 2  
			 Lincoln 45 1  54 2  53 1  
			 Lindholme 62 2  66 2  78 2  
			 Littlehey 43 1  39 1  34 1  
			 Liverpool 58 6  59 4  59 4  
			 Long Lartin 51 4  43 4  55 6  
			 Lowdham Grange (Private Prison) Data not supplied 
			 Low Newton 32 2  35 2  35 2  
			 Maidstone 33 1  35 1  28 1  
			 Manchester 60 5  64 4  67 5  
			 Moorland 70 2  70 3  59 3  
			 Morton Hall 28 2  27 1  28 1  
			 New Hall 48 2  47 2  52 2  
			 North Sea Camp 25   32 1  32 1  
			 Northallerton 26 1  24 1  31 1  
			 Norwich 56 2  57 3  56 3  
			 Nottingham 46 2  54 1  49 1  
			 Onley 55 2  59 2  65 2  
			 Parkhurst 43 3  52 3  39 2  
			 Pentonville 65 4  61 4  57 3  
			 Peterborough (Private Prison)(1)  
			 Portland 45 3  44 3  45 2  
			 Preston 62 2  63 2  65 2  
			 Ranby 56 4  64 3  60 3  
			 Reading 22 1  27 1  30 1  
			 Risley 57 3  51 3  48 3  
			 Rochester 30 2  30 2  29 2  
			 Rye Hill (Private Prison) 41 6 1 46 8 1 44 8 1 
			 Send 19 2  23 2  20 3  
			 Shepton Mallet 25   21 1  23 1  
			 Shrewsbury 33 1  29 1  28 1  
			 Stafford 44 2  48 2  42 2  
			 Standford Hill 43 1  43 4  10 1  
			 Stocken 50 1  50 1  52 1  
			 Stoke Heath 47 4  55 2  55 3  
			 Styal 46 3  44 3  39 2  
			 Sudbury 42 1  43 1  40 2  
			 Swaleside 59 3  56 2  25 1  
			 Swansea 37 1  40 1  42 1  
			 Swinfen Hall 40 2  47 2  38 2  
			 The Mount 50 4  47 2  46 3  
			 The Verne 36 1  41 1  36 1  
			 Thorn Cross 36 3  36 3  38 2  
			 Usk/Prescoed 33 2  35 1  31 1  
			 Wakefield 50 4  48 4  56 4  
			 Wandsworth 65 5  60 3  67 5  
			 Warren Hill 39 1  45 1  43 1  
			 Wayland 41 1  41 1  38 1  
			 Wealstun 60 2  52 2  56 2  
			 Weare 34 1  1  
			 Wellingborough 42 1  56 1  53 1  
			 Werrington 26 2  28 2  28 2  
			 Wetherby 31 2  33 2  32 3  
			 Whatton 35 2  49 3  57 3  
			 Whitemoor 68 4  66 4  75 5  
			 Winchester 55 1  54 3  52 2  
			 Wolds (Private Prison) 7 5 1 8 5 1 8 5 1 
			 Woodhill 49 5  53 5  62 5  
			 Wormwood Scrubs 59 3  66 2  65 5  
			 Wymott 59 3  60 2  57 3  
		
	
	
		
			   2007-08  2008-09 
			  Name  Admin and Executive Support  Senior Managers  Director/Senior Civil Servant  Admin and Executive Support  Senior Managers  Director/Senior Civil Servant 
			 Acklington 47 1  54 2  
			 Albany 46 2  22 1  
			 Altcourse (Private Prison) 51 8 1 56 8 1 
			 Ashfield (Private Prison) Data not supplied 
			 Ashwell 39 1  50 1  
			 Askham Grange 18 2  17 2  
			 Aylesbury 36 2  35 2  
			 Bedford 37 2  40 1  
			 Belmarsh 72 3  72 4  
			 Birmingham 72 3  72 4  
			 Blantyre House 10 1  9 1  
			 Blundeston 29 2  33 2  
			 Brinsford 45 2  43 2  
			 Bristol 35 3  37 3  
			 Brixton 37 5  39 6  
			 Bronzefield (Private Prison)(1)41 9 1 
			 Buckley Hall 29 1  29 2  
			 Bullingdon 68 3  67 4  
			 Bullwood Hall 20 2  23 2  
			 Camp Hill 32 1  23 1  
			 Canterbury 18 1  19 1  
			 Cardiff 40 2  45 2  
			 Castington 33 3  34 3  
			 Channings Wood 47 4  47 3  
			 Chelmsford 51 2  45 1  
			 Coldingley 23 2  28 2  
			 Coltishall Operational in 2009 4 1  
			 Cookham Wood 23 1  30 1  
			 Dartmoor 46 1  45 3  
			 Deerbolt 47 1  46 1  
			 Doncaster (Private Prison) Data not supplied 
			 Dorchester 28 2  26 3  
			 Doncaster (Private Prison) Data not supplied 
			 Dover 13 1  15 1  
			 Downview 25 1  27 1  
			 Drake Hall 26 1  29 1  
			 Durham 71 3  73 2  
			 East Sutton Park 9 1  12 1  
			 Eastwood Park 39 1  41 1  
			 Edmunds Hill 26 1  28 1  
			 Elmley18 1  
			 Erlestoke 33 1  32 1  
			 Everthorpe 46 2  47 1  
			 Exeter 38 2  38 1  
			 Featherstone 45 1  45 1  
			 Feltham 64 3  68 6  
			 Ford 25 1  32 1  
			 Forest Bank (Private Prison)(1)51 7 1 
			 Foston Hall 34 2  34 2  
			 Frankland 73 8  69 9  
			 Full Sutton 40 4  46 4  
			 Garth 43 3  44 3  
			 Gartree 50 4  57 4  
			 Glen Parva 50 1  48 2  
			 Gloucester 33 1  32 1  
			 Grendon 52 11  50 10  
			 Guys Marsh 40 1  31 1  
			 Haslar 9 1  8 1  
			 Haverigg 44 2  43 4  
			 Hewell 98 5  88 4  
			 High Down 60 2 1 58 2 1 
			 Highpoint 53 3  60 1  
			 Hindley 41 3  43 3  
			 Hollesley Bay 25 1  26 1  
			 Holloway 49 3  47 3  
			 Holme House 60 3  61 4  
			 Hull 60 3  58 4  
			 Huntercombe 27 2  28 2  
			 Isle of Wight Cluster Operational in 2009 29 1  
			 Kennet 33 2  37 1  
			 Kingston 19 1  18 1  
			 Kirkham 44 1  46 1  
			 Kirklevington Grange 19 1  24 1  
			 Lancaster 31 1  30 1  
			 Lancaster Farms 49 3  47 3  
			 Latchmere House 15   13   
			 Leeds 64 3  66 1  
			 Leicester 29 1  31 1  
			 Lewes 36 2  47 1  
			 Leyhill 45 3  38 3  
			 Lincoln 46 1  45 2  
			 Lindholme 76 2  74 4  
			 Littlehey 33 1  39 3  
			 Liverpool 54 4  52 4  
			 Long Lartin 49 4  51 5  
			 Lowdham Grange (Private Prison) Data not supplied 
			 Low Newton 33 2  32 2  
			 Maidstone 31 1  35 1  
			 Manchester 63 5  67 6  
			 Moorland 61 3  61 3  
			 Morton Hall 24 1  25 1  
			 New Hall 46 3  52 2  
			 North Sea Camp 34 1  32 1  
			 Northallerton 27 1  30 1  
			 Norwich 51 1  48 2  
			 Nottingham 48 1  47 2  
			 Onley 48 2  56 2  
			 Parkhurst 48 3  31 2  
			 Pentonville 58 2  52 4  
			 Peterborough (Private Prison)(1)47 8 1 
			 Portland 43 2  44 2  
			 Preston 58 3  62 2  
			 Ranby 61 3  63 3  
			 Reading 25 1  24 1  
			 Risley 52 5  54 4  
			 Rochester 29 2  53 2  
			 Rye Hill (Private Prison) 61 8 1 57 9 1 
			 Send 21 2 1 25 2  
			 Shepton Mallet 22 1  25 1  
			 Shrewsbury 29 1  29 1  
			 Stafford 49 2  54 3  
			 Standford Hill 1   8 1  
			 Stocken 55 1  56 1  
			 Stoke Heath 51 3  50 3  
			 Styal 36 3  41 3  
			 Sudbury 40 2  38 2  
			 Swaleside27 1  
			 Swansea 33 1  30 1  
			 Swinfen Hall 41 2  38 2  
			 The Mount 49 2  51 3  
			 The Verne 39 1  39 1  
			 Thorn Cross 32 2  33 2  
			 Usk/Prescoed 29 2  26 2  
			 Wakefield 56 3  60 4  
			 Wandsworth 59 4  73 5  
			 Warren Hill 34 1  29 1  
			 Wayland 36 1  46 1  
			 Wealstun 60 2  52 2  
			 Weare   
			 Wellingborough 47 1  50 1  
			 Werrington 24 2  24 2  
			 Wetherby 36 2  34 3  
			 Whatton 64 3  68 4  
			 Whitemoor 68 6  76 6  
			 Winchester 47 2  44 3  
			 Wolds (Private Prison) 7 5 1 8 5 1 
			 Woodhill 63 5  69 4  
			 Wormwood Scrubs 52 5  54 5  
			 Wymott 63 4  61 3  
			 (1) Figures prior to 2009 not available.  Notes: 1. Headcount (part-timers count as one). 2. There are typically no senior civil servants based within public sector establishments. Governing governors, who have the chief responsibility for the establishment, are allocated in senior management grades (A-D). However, for some private prisons there is a specific director role and therefore the figures reflect this job title.  PQ Grade NOMS Grade Directors Senior Civil Servants Senior Managers Senior Managers (A-D) Executive Support and Administration Staff AA, AO, EO, Typists and Personal Secretaries  Source: Oracle HRMS and Personnel Management System

Probation Officers: Manpower

Paul Rowen: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many  (a) trainee and  (b) qualified probation officers have been employed by the Probation Service in each year since 1997.

Maria Eagle: The following table shows the numbers of trainee probation officers and qualified probation officers on 31 December in each year since 1997(1).
	
		
			   Trainee probation officers  Qualified probation officers( 1) 
			 1997  6,155 
			 1998 229 6,012 
			 1999 523 6,027 
			 2000 564 6,029 
			 2001 1,096 6,038 
			 2002 1,566 5,966 
			 2003 1,908 6,103 
			 2004 1,774 6,586 
			 2005 1,387 6,894 
			 2006 1,134 7,210 
			 2007 1,138 7,120 
			 (1 )Figures include senior practitioners, senior probation officers, probation officers and practice development assessors.  Note: Figures are shown as full time equivalents. 
		
	
	Figures for the year 2008-09 are not yet available.

Probation Officers: Training

Edward Garnier: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how much was spent from the public purse on training probation officers in 2008-09.

Maria Eagle: In the financial year 2008-09, 41.772 million was allocated to trainee probation officer (TPO) training.

Probation: Prison Service

Neil Gerrard: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what targets his Department has set for the  (a) probation and  (b) e for 2009-10.

Maria Eagle: The national targets that have been set for the National Offender Management Service (NOMS) Agency for 2009-10 are shown in the following table. In addition, there are more detailed targets in the service level agreements and contracts of public and private prison and probation providers against which performance is assessed.
	
		
			  Number  Combined NOMS Agency Measures  Target 2009-10 
			 Probation Reduce re-offending (PSA 23) - 10% reduction on 2005 levels by 2011  
			 Prison No Category A escapes National 0 
			 Prison The rate of escapes from prison and prison escorts to be no more than 0.05% of the average prison population National 0.05% 
			 Prison Fewer than 1 in 20,000 escapes from contractor escorts National 1 in 20,000 
			 Probation 70% of orders or licences successfully completed Regional Minimum 70% 
			 Prison The rate of drug misuse in prisons is less than 9.3% as reflected by those testing positive in mandatory drug tests 9.3% (incl. bupre-norphine) 
			 Probation The proportion of accredited programme starts that meet the OGRS/Risk of Serious Harm eligibility criteria where relevant to be at least 80% National 80% 
			 Agency wide The percentage of offenders in employment at termination of their sentence, order or licence to be at least 35% (PSA 16) 35% 
			 Agency wide The percentage of offenders in settled and suitable accommodation at the end of their sentence, order or licence to be at least 79% (PSA 16) 79% 
			 Prison The rate of serious assaults is less than 1.9% of the prison population 1.9% 
			 Prison The percentage of prisoners held in overcrowded accommodation is less than 26% across the prison system National 26% 
			 Agency wide Staff sickness does not exceed an average of 10.5 days per annum in public sector National 10.5 
			 Agency wide Ethnic minority staff for the NOMS. Agency, expressed as a proportion of the workforce who have declared their ethnicity, is at least 8.5% by April 2010 National 8.5%

Public Interest Lawyers

Ben Wallace: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how much has been paid in legal aid fees to  (a) the solicitor Phil Shiner and  (b) Public Interest Lawyers since 2001.

Michael Wills: The Legal Services Commission's records of legal aid fees paid to Public Interest Lawyers since 2001, for the financial years requested (running from 1 April to 31 March) rounded to the nearest pound, are shown in the table. It should be noted that the fees paid could be for work done in previous years or for work covering more than one year.
	The figures relate to civil legal aid work (the firm does not hold a crime contract). They have been calculated on the basis of net payments authorised.(1) All the figures listed are inclusive of VAT.
	
		
			  Financial year  Total payment () 
			 2000-01 9,583 
			 2001-02 32,561 
			 2002-03 59,669 
			 2003-04 139,621 
			 2004-05 158,283 
			 2005-06 251,844 
			 2006-07 299,668 
			 2007-08 490,972 
			 2008-09 628,528 
			 Total 2,070,728 
			 (1) Net payments authorised is the value of main bills submitted during the year, less any previous payments on account, plus new payments on account made during the year on outstanding cases. 
		
	
	The LSC makes payments to firms rather than individuals so it is not possible to identify payments to Phil Shiner of Public Interest Lawyers separately.

Regional Offender Managers: Finance

Edward Garnier: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the budget for each Director of Offender Management office in each English region and Wales is for  (a) 2009,  (b) 2010 and  (c) 2011.

Maria Eagle: The office budget of each Director of Offender Management in England and Wales for 2009-10 is shown in the following table:
	
		
			  () 
			 London 2.018 
			 Wales 1.662 
			 Yorkshire 2.282 
			 Eastern 2.662 
			 South East 3.537 
			 North West 3.135 
			 West Midlands 2.397 
			 North East 1.872 
			 East Midlands 2.73l 
			 South West 2.135 
		
	
	The budgets for 2010-11 onwards have not yet been determined.

Regional Offender Managers: Manpower

Edward Garnier: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many people were employed in each Director of Offender Management office on the latest date for which figures are available; and whether he plans to recruit further staff to each office.

Maria Eagle: The core regional structure has been developed to deliver offender management at regional level. The DOM structure has been designed to deliver the objectives of the organisation by placing resources at the frontline to best meet community needs while ensuring the delivery of national standards and specifications.
	The template is scaleable to match the size of each of the regions but the main structure is identical across the nine regions and Wales. A number of other posts may work under the DOM but are not shown in the regional structure as these receive funding from elsewhere.
	The new regional offices opened as part of an organisational restructure in April 2009. We have been recruiting existing staff into the new posts via a job matching process; ring-fenced competition; and internal competition. An external recruitment process has been undertaken for a small number of specialist posts where no suitable internal candidates were found. Surpluses arising from the exercise are being managed robustly via the redeployment strategy. The overall staffing figure in the pre-existing Area and ROM offices prior to restructure was 576. On completion of the restructure, staffing in regional offices will be reduced by a total of 180 at an eventual saving of approximately 10 million.
	The current position is shown in the following table.
	
		
			  Region  Core regional structure (current state)  Core regional structure (authorised establishment figure) 
			 East Midlands 22 39 
			 East of England 19 39 
			 London 22 37 
			 North East 25 32 
			 North West 25 44 
			 South East 31 59 
			 South West 17 39 
			 Wales 16 29 
			 West Midlands 28 39 
			 Yorkshire and Humberside 29 39 
			 Total 233 396 
		
	
	There are no plans to recruit any further staff into each office once all the posts are filled.

Regional Offender Managers: Pay

Edward Garnier: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what estimate he has made of the average salary to be paid to the directors of offender management in each English region and Wales in 2009.

Maria Eagle: Part of the restructuring of the National Offender Management Service is the appointment of 10 Directors of Offender Management, DOMs, one for each of the nine regions in England and one in Wales from April 1 2009.
	The salary of the DOM is dependent on the size and complexities of the region. Seven on the DOMs are in the SCS pay band 1 which ranges from 78,585 to 102,388 and the remaining three are in SCS pay band 2 which has a salary range from 87,055 to 150,000.

Reoffenders

Andrew Stunell: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the re-offending rate for offenders resident in each police force area was in each year since 1997.

Claire Ward: The most recent reoffending rates are shown in the table. This data can be found in Local Adult Reoffending 1 January 2008-31 December 2008 England and Wales which was published 14 May 2009. This is available online at:
	http://www.justice.gov.uk/publications/docs/local-adult-reoffending-2008-ii.pdf
	Further details on local adult reoffending are contained in this publication.
	Local adult reoffending rates by probation area are not available for periods prior to 1 October 2007-30 September 2008.
	The local reoffending figures are produced by aggregating the data of four snapshots of the probation case load at the end of each quarter. Therefore the number of offenders quoted in the table is approximately four times the number of offenders on the case load at any one time.
	Probation areas are coterminous with police force areas except in the case of London probation, which covers both the Metropolitan and the City of London police forces.
	
		
			  Local reoffending rates by probation area, 1 January-31 December 2008 
			  Probation area  Cohort size (combining four quarters of probation case load data)  Actual rate of reoffending (percentage) 
			 Derbyshire 11,434 8.10 
			 Leicestershire 11,256 7.94 
			 Lincolnshire 5,818 10.36 
			 Northamptonshire 7,415 8.23 
			 Nottinghamshire 14,483 10.89 
			 Bedfordshire 5,606 8.56 
			 Cambridgeshire 9,389 11.01 
			 Essex 20,217 8.17 
			 Hertfordshire 10,239 8.71 
			 Norfolk 7,328 10.92 
			 Suffolk 6,190 9.26 
			 London 109,589 8.70 
			 Durham 9,364 11.77 
			 Northumbria 22,149 15.29 
			 Teesside 11,720 15.33 
			 Cheshire 11,248 8.66 
			 Cumbria 6,655 12.70 
			 Greater Manchester 46,970 10.00 
			 Lancashire 22,724 11.07 
			 Merseyside 26,040 9.55 
			 Hampshire 19,665 9.83 
			 Kent 16,767 8.25 
			 Surrey 6,132 8.55 
			 Sussex 14,870 7.42 
			 Thames Valley 20,038 9.79 
			 Avon and Somerset 13,935 10.10 
			 Devon and Cornwall 11,450 9.41 
			 Dorset 5,787 10.54 
			 Gloucestershire 5,752 12.15 
			 Wiltshire 5,167 9.39 
			 Dyfed-Powys 4,666 11.02 
			 Gwent 8,524 10.83 
			 North Wales 9,268 10.85 
			 South Wales 19,878 11.96 
			 Staffordshire 12,635 8.80 
			 Warwickshire 5,147 10.51 
			 West Mercia 11,204 9.91 
			 West Midlands 51,622 8.95 
			 Humberside 11,967 10.24 
			 North Yorkshire 6,617 12.32 
			 South Yorkshire 17,715 11.28 
			 West Yorkshire 32,512 10.89

Restraint Techniques: Young Offenders

Julie Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many times restraint has been used on a child in  (a) secure children's homes,  (b) secure training centres and  (c) young offender institutions for the purposes of (i) preventing a criminal offence, (ii) preventing injury, (iii) preventing damage to property and (iv) maintaining good order and discipline in each month of the last three years.

Maria Eagle: Physical restraint is only ever to be used by staff in the under-18 secure estate as a last resort, when all other approaches have either not succeeded or would not be appropriate.
	The data provided in the following table, for the period April 2008 to May 2009, have been supplied by the Youth Justice Board (YJB) and have been drawn from administrative IT systems, which, as with any large scale recording system, are subject to possible errors with data entry and processing and may be subject to change over time. They relate to use of restraint in secure training centres.
	Central collection of information about the reasons for each restraint began in April 2008. The categories in the table relate to the purposes for which restraint was permitted under Rule 38(1) of the Secure Training Centre Rules 1998 during all or part of the period in question. Those purposes are: to prevent a trainee from escaping from custody; to prevent a trainee from injuring himself or others; to prevent damage to property; to prevent a trainee from inciting another trainee to cause injury or damage property; and to ensure good order and discipline. Prevention of a criminal offence is not, in itself, a purpose for which restraint is or was authorised under Rule 38(1). Ensuring good order and discipline ceased, at the end of July 2008, to be an approved purpose for using restraint.
	Statistics relating to young offender institutions and secure children's homes are not collected in the format requested and obtaining them would require a search through individual records, which could not be carried out without disproportionate cost.
	
		
			  Reasons for the use of restraint in secure training centres, April 2008 to May 2009 
			   Escape from custody  Injury to self or others  Damage to property  Incitement to injure or cause damage  Good order and discipline  Total 
			  2008   
			 April 0 137 7 2 4 150 
			 May 0 95 14 1 0 110 
			 June 1 119 13 0 3 136 
			 July 1 170 7 4 9 191 
			 August 0 150 15 2 (1) 167 
			 September 0 125 26 1 (1) 152 
			 October 0 143 15 1 (1) 159 
			 November 0 103 4 0 (1) 107 
			 December 0 128 14 0 (1) 142 
			  2009   
			 January 0 138 5 0 (1) 143 
			 February 0 127 17 1 (1) 145 
			 March 0 159 29 2 (1) 190 
			 April 0 181 23 1 (1) 205 
			 May 0 156 23 0 (1) 179 
			 (1 )Discontinued as a reason for restraint at the end of July 2008.  Note: In July 2008, the Court of Appeal ruled that restraint could not be used in secure training centres for the purpose of ensuring good order and discipline (Re C v Secretary of State for Justice (2008) EWCA Civ 882).

Scotland

Stewart Hosie: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice whether his Department plans to make a submission to the Scottish Executive's National Conversation consultation on Scotland's constitutional future.

Jack Straw: The Ministry of Justice has not submitted evidence to the Scottish Executive's National Conversation.
	The Commission on Scottish Devolution was established by majority vote in the Scottish Parliament and with the full support of the UK Government. UK Departments submitted evidence to the Commission during its First phase of evidence gathering.
	The Commission recently published its Final Report, which can be found here at:
	http://www.commissiononscottishdevolution.org.uk/uploads/2009-06-12-csd-final-report-2009fbookmarked.pdf
	A Steering Group has been established under the Chairmanship of the Secretary of State for Scotland to help the UK Government and the Scottish Parliament plan how to take forward the Calman recommendations and deliver stronger devolution within a stronger United Kingdom.

Shia Courts

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what recent discussions he has had on Shia courts in the United Kingdom; and if he will make a statement.

Bridget Prentice: It is assumed the hon. Member is asking about Sharia councils. Sharia councils do not describe themselves as Sharia 'courts' because they do not have powers to enforce their decisions. Sharia councils are not part of the court system in England and Wales. There are a number of Sharia councils in England and Wales that, on a private basis, when the parties consent, apply Sharia principles to reach resolution of personal and contractual disputes. Some councils have several branches in major cities but councils are not unified under one system governing their approach to issues or their administration so their processes and even their interpretation of Sharia principles may differ.
	I also refer the hon. Member to an answer given by my noble Friend Lord Bach on 21 May 2009,  Official Report, House of Lords, column WA362. The Government have also commissioned a small-scale research project to investigate the number and distribution of Sharia councils in England and Wales. There has not been any recent ministerial discussions on Sharia councils.

Surplus Employee

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many surplus employees his Department had on the latest date for which figures are available; what expenditure his Department incurred on salaries for surplus employees in the last 12 months; and what roles such employees fulfil.

Michael Wills: As of 4 September 2009 the Ministry of Justice had 254 staff that were actively seeking permanent redeployment. This figure comprises both full-time and part-time staff. All staff seeking redeployment are gainfully employed and undertaking roles within the Ministry and so are not defined as surplus. They are engaged in work contributing to the delivery of public services, including core frontline activities, policy and project work and other operational roles.
	The salary expenditure for staff seeking redeployment is available from May 2009 when records were centralised. Prior to then salary expenditure can be obtained only at a disproportionate cost. In the last quarter the salary costs of those who were engaged in work but actively seeking permanent redeployment was 2,015,005.
	The number of employees seeking redeployment changes regularly as a result of both our success in redeployment, and the addition of newly displaced staff following organisational change. Since April 2009, 102 redeployees have been found permanent jobs and the average length of time for a person seeking permanent redeployment to be placed in a new job is currently 95 days.
	The Ministry of Justice seeks to redeploy equitably, fairly and in a timely manner with our best endeavours to avoid the need for recourse to compulsory redundancy.

Surveillance

Harry Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what role the Information Commissioner has in monitoring the use of surveillance techniques by media organisations; what reports the Information Commissioner has received of misuse of such techniques by media organisations in the last two years; and if he will make a statement.

Michael Wills: The Information Commissioner's Office is the independent regulator with responsibility for enforcing the Data Protection Act 1998 (DPA).
	In his evidence session to the Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee on 2 September, the Information Commissioner (IC) outlined his responsibility for investigating and punishing blagging activity (the practice of tricking organisations into revealing confidential personal information), because this is an offence under section 55 of the DPA. It may also be relevant for the IC to investigate and take the necessary action in cases where personal information collected using surveillance techniques is then not processed in compliance with the Data Protection Principles set out in the DPA. However, enforcement of the Regulatory and Investigation Powers Act 2000 to tackle illegal phone hacking and tapping is the responsibility of the Surveillance Commissioners and not the IC.
	In his evidence session, the Information Commissioner confirmed that his Office had received no further evidence about the media's use of private investigators beyond that obtained during the course of the Motorman investigation.

Young Offender Institutions

Justine Greening: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice pursuant to the answer of 14 July 2009,  Official Report, columns 261-2W, on young offender institutions, what percentage of offenders aged  (a) 12,  (b) 13,  (c) 14,  (d) 15,  (e) 16,  (f) 17,  (g) 18 and  (h) 19 years who had previously been resident in a London borough were detained over 20 miles or 45 minutes travel away from their previous homes at the latest date for which figures are available.

Maria Eagle: Table A shows the percentage of 15 to 19-year-olds (male and female) who had previously been resident in a London borough and were detained in a prison or young offender institution that was over 20 miles travel away from their home area, as of September 2008. Home area is taken as a prisoner's home address. If no home address is recorded the court of first committal is used as a proxy.
	
		
			  Table A 
			   Percentage 
			 Percentage of 15-year-olds from London area held over 20 miles of home area 90 
			 Percentage of 16-year-olds from London area held over 20 miles of home area 83 
			 Percentage of 17-year-olds from London area held over 20 miles of home area 76 
			 Percentage of 18-year-olds from London area held over 20 miles of home area 72 
			 Percentage of 19-year-olds from London area held over 20 miles of home area 78 
			  Source: NOMS 
		
	
	Table B shows the percentage of 12 to 17-year-olds (male and female) who had previously been resident in a London borough and were detained in Secure Children's Homes or Secure Training Centres that was over 20 miles away from their home area, as of September 2008. Home area is taken as a young person's address at the time of sentence. If no address is recorded, the address of the Youth Offending Team that the young person is attached to is used as a proxy. Those aged 18 and 19 are not held in Secure Children's Homes or Secure Training Centres.
	
		
			  Table B 
			  Percentage 
			   Secure Children's Homes  Secure Training Centres 
			 Percentage of 12-year-olds from London area held over 20 miles from home area 0 n/a 
			 Percentage of 13-year-olds from London area held over 20 miles from home area n/a 100 
			 Percentage of 14-year-olds from London area held over 20 miles from home area 75 89 
			 Percentage of 15-year-olds from London area held over 20 miles from home area 25 82 
			 Percentage of 16-year-olds from London area held over 20 miles from home area 100 100 
			 Percentage of 17-year-olds from London area held over 20 miles from home area n/a 86 
			 n/a: Denotes that no young people of this age were held in Secure Children's Homes or Secure Training Centres on this date.  Source: Youth Justice Board

Young Offender Institutions: Injuries

Justine Greening: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice pursuant to the answer of 1 July 2009,  Official Report, columns 265-7W, on young offender institutions: injuries, how many incidents of  (a) self-harm,  (b) damage caused by restraint and  (c) assault by offenders who had been previously resident in a London borough occurred in each young offender institution in each of the last five years.

Maria Eagle: The system used within the National Offender Management Service for analysing self harm and assaults information does not include details of prisoners' home addresses. As a result the information requested is not available centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Young Offenders: Magistrates Courts

Sally Keeble: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many children appeared before  (a) an adult and  (b) a youth magistrates court in the latest year for which figures are available.

Claire Ward: Information showing the number of juveniles aged 10 to 17 proceeded against at adult magistrates courts and youth magistrates courts in England and Wales for 2007 (latest available) is shown in the following table.
	Data for 2008 will be available in the autumn of 2009.
	
		
			  Defendants aged 10 to 17 proceeded against at adult magistrates courts and youth magistrates courts, England and Wales, 2007( 1,2) 
			   Number 
			 Adult courts 11,519 
			 Youth courts 115,015 
			 All courts 126,534 
			 (1) The statistics relate to persons for whom these offences were the principal offences for which they were dealt with. When a defendant has been found guilty of two or more offences the principal offence is the offence for which the heaviest penalty is imposed. Where the same disposal is imposed for two or more offences, the offence selected is the offence for which the statutory maximum penalty is the most severe.  (2) Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used.   Source:  Evidence and Analysis UnitOffice for Criminal Justice Reform.

Young Offenders: Reoffenders

Justine Greening: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what percentage of offenders aged  (a) 12,  (b) 13,  (c) 14,  (d) 15,  (e) 16,  (f) 17,  (g) 18 and  (h) 19 years who had previously been resident in a London borough and who were released from young offender institutions in each of the last five years were reconvicted within a year for (i) violent and (ii) non-violent crimes.

Maria Eagle: Juvenile reoffending covers those aged 10 to 17. A release from custody could be from a Secure Training Centre, a Secure Children's Home or a Young Offender Institution. Data is not broken down by type of release establishment or by individual release establishment. A breakdown of previous residence by location is not available. For information on the latest juvenile reoffending statistics please consult:
	http://www.justice.gov.uk/publications/docs/reoffending-juveniles-2007.pdf
	Reoffenders that are aged 18 and 19 are included in the adult dataset. As with juveniles a breakdown of previous residence by location is not available. Further information on adult reoffending is available at:
	http://www.justice.gov.uk/publications/docs/reoffending-adults-2007.pdf

Young Offenders: Sentencing

Justine Greening: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice pursuant to the answer of 1 July 2009,  Official Report, column 269W, on young offenders: sentencing, what percentage of offenders aged  (a) 12,  (b) 13,  (c) 14,  (d) 15,  (e) 16,  (f) 17,  (g) 18 and  (h) 19 years who had previously been resident in a London borough and who had been convicted for non-violent crimes were given community sentences in each of the last five years.

Claire Ward: The available information is shown in the following table. The table shows the percentage of those sentenced to community sentence by age in the last five years, for non-violent indictable offences. Figures for those previously resident in a London borough are not available, as places of residence are not recorded on the court proceedings database. The table shows those sentenced in the Metropolitan and City of London police force areas.
	
		
			  Percentage of persons sentenced to community sentences for non-violent indictable offences( 1)  in the last five years, by age in London police force areas 
			  Age  2003  2004  2005  2006  2007 
			 12 91.4 91.0 91.3 92.3 96.9 
			 13 86.6 91.3 90.1 87.3 92.5 
			 14 77.1 82.5 86.5 86.6 86.2 
			 15 71.5 75.4 75.0 77.9 78.0 
			 16 66.1 67.3 68.0 68.9 72.1 
			 17 58.4 55.9 59.5 59.5 59.5 
			 18 25.7 29.3 31.1 27.9 30.3 
			 19 24.1 28.9 28.2 25.5 23.7 
			 (1) This includes all indictable offences not included in the violence against the person offence type. Summary offences have not been included as they are not categorised into violent or non-violent offences  Notes: 1. These figures have been drawn from administrative data systems. 2. Although care is taken when processing and analysing the returns, the detail collected is subject to the inaccuracies inherent in any large scale recording system.  Source: OMS Analytical Services, Ministry of Justice 
		
	
	The definition of non-violent offences are all those indictable offences not included in the offence type, 'Violence Against the Person'. Summary offences have not been included as they are not categorised into violent or non-violent offences. This data is presented on the principal offence basis: where an offender has been sentenced for more than one offence the principal offence is the one for which the heaviest sentence was imposed; where the same sentence has been imposed for two or more offences the principal offence is the one for which the statutory maximum is most severe. Data for 2008 will not be available until 'Sentencing Statistics 2008' is published.

Youth Custody

Sally Keeble: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many young offenders aged  (a) up to 16 and  (b) 17 years of age were held in custodial institutions (i) on remand, (ii) under sentence for crimes of violence and (iii) under sentence for offences not involving violence on the latest date for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement.

Maria Eagle: The following tables provide the requested information in respect of young people in custody on 26 June 2009.
	The data have been supplied by the Youth Justice Board and have been drawn from administrative IT systems, which, as with any large scale recording system, are subject to possible errors with data entry and processing and may be subject to change over time.
	
		
			   Age  
			   (a) Up to 16  (b)17  Total 
			 (i) Young people in custody on, remand 306 329 635 
			 (ii) Under sentence for crimes of violence 540 636 1,176 
			 (iii) Under sentence for crimes riot involving violence 410 445 855 
		
	
	A table of violent offences for which young people were recorded as being held in custody under sentence on this date is as follows.
	
		
			  Offence group  Offence 
			 Arson Arson endangering life 
			   
			 Domestic burglary Aggravated burglary of a dwelling 
			   
			 Public order Public order offence 
			  Riot/affray 
			  Section 4 Public Order Act 1986 
			  Section 3 Violent Disorder 
			  Section 5 Public Order Act (harassment, alarm, or distress)Racially Aggravated, (Crime and Disorder Act 1998, Section 31 (1)) 
			  Section 5 Public Order Act 1986 
			   
			 Racially aggravated Common assaultracially aggravated 
			  Racially aggravated 
			  Section 4 Public Order Act 1968Racially Aggravatedthreatening, abusive, or insulting words or behaviour (Crime and Disorder Act 1998 Section 31 (1)(a)) 
			   
			 Robbery Assault with intent to rob 
			  Robbery 
			   
			 Sexual offences Attempted rape 
			  Buggery by a male aged 16-17 with a male aged 16 or over 
			  Buggery by a male of female under 16 
			  Indecent Assault on female aged 16 or over 
			  Indecent Assault on female aged under 16 
			  Indecent Assault on male aged 16 or over 
			  Indecent Assault on male aged under 16 
			  Other incest 
			  RapeFemale 
			  RapeMale 
			  Sexual offence 
			  Unlawful sexual intercourse with female under 13 
			   
			 Vehicle theft/unauthorised taking Aggravated vehicle taking 
			   
			 Violence against the person Assault occasioning actual bodily harm 
			  Assault with intent to resist apprehension or assault on a person assisting a constable 
			  Attempted murder 
			  Causing explosion or casting corrosive fluids with intent to do grievous bodily harm 
			  Common assault 
			  Endangering railway passenger by placing anything on railway, taking up rail, changing points or signals 
			  False imprisonment 
			  Kidnapping 
			  Making written or verbal threats to kill 
			  Malicious wounding/grievous bodily harm 
			  Manslaughter 
			  Murder 
			  Possessing firearm or imitation firearm with intent to commit an indictable offence or resist offence 
			  Possession of a firearm or imitation firearm with intent to cause violence 
			  Possession of an offensive weapon 
			  Possession of firearm or imitation firearm at time of committing or being arrested for an offence under Schedule 1 of the Firearms Act 1968 
			  Possession of firearm with intent to endanger life or injure property 
			  Threat or conspiracy to murder 
			  Violence against person 
			  Wounding with intent to do grievous bodily harm 
		
	
	Non-violent offences for which young people were recorded as being held under sentence in custody on this date were as follows:
	
		
			  Offence group  Offence 
			 Arson Arson 
			  Arson not endangering life 
			   
			 Breach of bail Breach of bail 
			   
			 Breach of conditional discharge Breach of conditional discharge 
			   
			 Breach of statutory order Breach of ASBO 
			  Breach of detention and training order 
			  Breach of extended sentence 
			  Breach of Section 91 sentence 
			  Breach of statutory order 
			   
			 Criminal damage Criminal damage 
			  Threat to commit criminal damage 
			   
			 Domestic burglary Burglary of a dwelling 
			   
			 Drugs Cultivation of Cannabis 
			  Drugs offence 
			  Having possession of a controlled drug with intent to supply it to another 
			  Importation/exportation of a drug controlled under the Misuse of Drugs Act 197 
			  Possession of Class A drug 
			  Possession of Class B drug 
			  Possession of Class C drug] 
			  Supplying or offering to supply a controlled drug or being concerned in the doing of either activity by another 
			   
			 Fraud and forgery Fraud 
			   
			 Motoring offences Driving whilst disqualified driving with excess alcohol Interfering with motor vehicle 
			   
			 Non domestic burglary Burglary of a non-dwelling 
			   
			 Other Other 
			  Perverting the course of justice 
			   
			 Theft and handling stolen goods Going equipped for stealing 
			  Handling stolen goods 
			  Making off without payment 
			  Theft and handling 
			  Theft from a motor vehicle 
			  Theft from a public place 
			  Theft from a shop 
			  Theft from the person 
			  Theft in a dwelling 
			   
			 Vehicle theft/unauthorised taking Allowing him/herself to be carried in a stolen car 
			  Theft of motor vehicle 
			  Taking without consent 
			  Vehicle Theft

Youth Custody: Restraint Techniques

David Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice with reference to paragraph 8.30 of the 2008 Independent Review of Restraint: Juvenile Secure Settings, if he will place in the Library a copy of the documentation relating to Adapted C  R piloted in May 2006 in Feltham and Cookham Wood young offenders institutions.

Maria Eagle: A pilot of juvenile restraint techniques (JRT) for use on young people (15 to 17-year-olds) commenced in May 2006. An interim evaluation report was produced in April 2007 and I have arranged for a copy of this to be placed in the House of Commons Library. Shortly after the completion of this report, the Independent Review of the Use of Restraint in Juvenile Secure Settings was announced and a decision was taken to suspend further work on JRT pending the outcome of the review.
	The Government's response to the independent review was published in December 2008 and part of this announced the development of a more comprehensive system of restraint for young people as part of a wider behaviour management system. Piloting of this new system of restraint is expected to begin early next year.

Youth Custody: Restraint Techniques

David Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice with reference to paragraph 8.39 of the 2008 Independent Review of Restraint: Juvenile Secure Settings, if he will place in the Library a copy of the Prison Service review into the case for extending the use of the baton to the young people's estate.

Maria Eagle: I have arranged for a copy of the Prison Service report, Review of the Potential Use of the Baton in the Young People's Estate to be placed in the House of Commons Library.

Youth Justice

Greg Hands: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what assessment the Office for Criminal Justice Reform undertook in deciding to allocate a grant to the Association of Youth Offending Team Managers for the purposes of building a case management system for youth offenders.

Maria Eagle: The Youth Justice Board applied for funding in May 2008 for an integrated Youth Offending Team (YOT) case management system to address concerns raised by the Association of YOT Managers and YOT Managers Cymru on the capability of their existing systems. The decision to allocate funding was made by a cross-criminal justice agency board following consideration of the business case and related documentation, a review against agreed investment principles, a technical design review, and an independent review from Gartner on the effectiveness of current case management systems in use by the youth justice system. The project is managed as part of the Youth Justice Board's wider Wiring Up Youth Justice Programme.

Pupil Funding

James Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how much funding per pupil his Department allocated to  (a) secondary and  (b) primary schools in (i) North Wiltshire constituency and (ii) Normanton constituency for 2009-10.

Diana Johnson: The Government allocate funding to local authorities, not by constituency, so we do not hold figures for North Wiltshire or Normanton constituencies. Separate figures are not available for primary and secondary schools as funding is not allocated by phase.
	The guaranteed funding per pupil for Wiltshire for 2009-10 is 3,849, and for Wakefield it is 4,022. The amount of Dedicated Schools Grant that local authorities receive is dependant on the number of pupils on roll. Wiltshire has received just over 243 million and Wakefield 182 million for 2009-10.

Illiteracy

Ann Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what recent estimate he has made of rates of illiteracy amongst children of primary school age.

Diana Johnson: It is not appropriate to use the term 'illiterate' to describe primary school pupils who are still learning. Primary school standards have never been higher. In 2009 92 per cent. of 11-year-olds achieved level 3 or above in reading, and 94 per cent. in writing. This means they can read a range of texts accurately and independently and their writing is organised, legible and clear. Many of those working below test level at age 11 will have a range of learning difficulties. We have proven, successful programmes like Every Child a Reader and Every Child a Writer in place to support those who are struggling.

Standards: Secondary Education

Greg Hands: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what steps he plans to take to raise academic standards in secondary schools.

Vernon Coaker: Secondary school standards have risen substantially since 1997, thanks to excellent leadership and teaching; support from the National Strategies; better use of pupil data; and the ambitious targets schools and local authorities have set for their pupils.
	We published our school improvement strategy in the White Paper, 'Your Child, Your School, Our Future' on 30 June to build upon the improvements already made and deliver a world class education system.

16 to 19-year-olds: Funding

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what recent representations he has received on funding for school education for 16 to 19-year-olds; and if he will make a statement.

Iain Wright: We have received three representations from schools about their 2009-10 funding allocation since June. These raised queries about the level of their allocation. We will be investing over 2.2 billion in 2009-10, enabling over 400,000 young people to have a place in a school sixth from in 2009-10. This will fund schools to make their vital contribution to deliver the September Guarantee providing an appropriate place in learning for any young person who wants one.

FE Colleges: Funding

Natascha Engel: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills on steps to support further education colleges whose enrolment figures have increased as a result of the recession; and if he will make a statement.

Iain Wright: I have not recently met the Secretary of State for Business Innovation and Skills on this issue, but we both recognise the vital role FE colleges play in developing the skills and knowledge of young people and adults. Hence, we are investing over 3.5 billion in 2009-10 enabling FE colleges to contribute to the September Guarantee for young people, including an extra 62 million secured in Budget 2009 to deal with the impact of the economic downturn.

Disadvantaged Pupils

John Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what steps his Department is taking to ensure that pupils from disadvantaged areas achieve their full potential.

Vernon Coaker: Over the past decade, all schools and areas have improved their performance substantiallybut those with the most deprived cohorts have made the largest gains.
	Schools have achieved these results through improved personalisation; through projects like The Extra Mile; and through our successful Academies and National and City Challenge programmes.
	In our Breaking the Link publication and the Schools White Paper we set out further plans to ensure even greater equity of outcomes.

City of York School Capital Spending

Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how much central Government allocated to City of York council for school capital spending in  (a) 1996-97 and  (b) the latest period for which figures are available.

Vernon Coaker: 0.8 million pounds was allocated to York in 1996-97. During the current three-year spending review period, we are allocating the city 40.0 million, that is, an average of 13.3 million a year.

Youth Justice System

Adrian Bailey: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what steps his Department has taken to provide support to young people with communication disabilities within the youth justice system.

Vernon Coaker: We are working with the Communication Trust to improve awareness and support for young people in the youth justice system with communication needs. Supported by DCSF funding, the Communications Trust is taking forward a programme to improve awareness of the importance of young people's communication needs in the secure estate and Youth Offending Teams. The trust is developing training for the youth justice workforce and influencing existing workforce programmes and National Occupational Standards.

Building Schools for the Future Programme

Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families in how many local authorities the implementation of the Building Schools for the Future programme has been suspended in the absence of a visionary or transformative bid.

Vernon Coaker: Three Building Schools for the Future projectsHull, Oldham, and Stokehave previously been suspended in the pre-procurement phase while the local authorities were asked to re-examine their school estate proposals to ensure that the proposals would make a significant educational impact.
	Local authorities are required to demonstrate that their BSF plans are visionary and transformational at two key points in the process. At initial entry, local authorities must submit a robust 'Readiness to Deliver' document which explains how their plans will impact on the local educational environment. Once the programme has commenced, they are required to submit a 'Strategy for Change' which describes the educational impact of their plans across all of the local schools to benefit from BSF investment. If, at either milestone, it is judged that the local authority is not setting high enough aspirations, they are asked to revise the strategies and resubmit them. This process helps to reduce the need to suspend BSF programmes.

Children in Care

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many children have been taken into alternative care as a result of low parental income in each of the last five years.

Dawn Primarolo: Children are not taken into care because of parental low income.
	A care order cannot be issued for a child simply because their parents are on a low income. Section 31 of the Children Act 1989 specifies that, to issue a care order, the court has to be satisfied that:
	(A) The child is suffering, or is likely to suffer, significant harm; and
	(B) That the harm, or likelihood of harm, is attributable to:
	the care given to the child (or likely to be given to him if the order were not made) not being what it would be reasonable to expect a parent to give to him; or
	the child's being beyond parental control.
	In all cases of children being taken into care on care orders, these conditions will have been fulfilled to the satisfaction of a court.

Children: Databases

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many people have been disciplined for misuse of data collected for the ContactPoint database in each year since data collection for that database began.

Dawn Primarolo: All organisations using ContactPoint must complete organisational accreditation before their staff can be granted access to ContactPoint. Part of the organisational accreditation involves ensuring that appropriate disciplinary procedures are in place in the employing organisation should it be necessary to invoke them in relation to any inappropriate use of ContactPoint.
	The use of ContactPoint is monitored at both national and local level. Local authorities are responsible for investigating suspected misuse within their user base. A central DCSF team also reviews use of the system and data by local authorities and national partners. If unusual activity by users within a local authority area or a national partner organisation were to be detected by regular auditing, or was suspected or reported, the local authority or national partner ContactPoint Management Team must suspend the user account, notify the user's manager and carry out an immediate investigation using local policies and procedures.
	In the eventuality that there was misuse of data held on ContactPoint, disciplinary action would be a matter for the employer of the individual concerned. No one has been disciplined for misuse of data, however, through DCSF auditing, we have identified five instances where correct procedures were not followed by ContactPoint users. Typically, these were users who searched for records, for example, those of family members, in order to 'test' the system, in what they believed was a 'safe' way, before undertaking work such as apply shields to records that need them. All cases were immediately investigated and appropriate action has been taken. One of these five instances resulted in an individual being disciplined. The incident, although inappropriate, did not lead to ContactPoint data being compromised and there is no evidence that any of these instances indicated malicious intent, posed any risk to the security of children's records or constituted misuse of data on ContactPoint.
	We have always said that we will carefully monitor the activity of early adopter practitioners to identify any further improvements that may be required. In the light of these instances, we further strengthened our training and guidance materials on correct procedures and use of ContactPoint. This demonstrates that the stringent security processes we have in place are working.

Children: Day Care

Maria Miller: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what estimate he has made of the average number of hours worked per week by  (a) childcarers in maintained settings,  (b) childcarers in private, voluntary and independent nurseries and  (c) childminders in each year since 2003.

Vernon Coaker: The Childcare and Early Years Providers Survey estimated that staff working in full day care in Children's Centres worked an average (mean) of 34 hours a week in 2007, compared with an average of 18 hours a week for staff in sessional settings. Data for all child care and early years' providers for each year available is shown in the following table.
	
		
			  Average number of hours worked per week by staff in child care and early years provision in maintained schools 
			   2003  2005  2006  2007 
			 Full day care 35 32 33 33 
			 Full day care in Children's Centres n/a n/a 34 34 
			 Sessional 17 18 17 18 
			 After school clubs 19 n/a 19 18 
			 Holiday clubs 31.5 n/a 27 29 
			 Nursery schools 32.5 n/a 32 31 
			 Primary schools with nursery and reception classes 33 n/a 31 29 
			 Primary schools with reception but no nursery classes 28 n/a 29 27 
			  Notes: 1. Children's centres were included in the survey for the first time in 2006, therefore data is not available for previous years. 2. After school and holiday clubs were sampled differently in 2005 and comparable figures for this year are not available. 3. Early years settings in maintained schools were not included in the 2005 survey. 
		
	
	In 2007 full day care staff in privately owned settings worked an average of 35 hours a week, compared with 27 hours for full day care staff in settings under voluntary ownership. 2007 data for all child care providers available is shown in the following table.
	
		
			  Average number of hours worked per week by child care staff, by ownership of setting, 2007 
			   Private  Voluntary  Local authority  School/college  Other 
			 Full day care 35 27 32 32 34 
			 Full day care in Children's Centres 35 34 34 33 36 
			 Sessional 18 18 24 20 16 
			 After school clubs 21 16 21 14 19 
			 Holiday clubs 30 26 30 30 29 
			  Note: Data for other providers are not available by type of ownership. 
		
	
	In 2006 full day care staff in privately owned settings worked an average of 35 hours a week, compared with 26 hours for full day care staff in settings under voluntary ownership. 2006 data for all child care providers available is shown in the following table.
	
		
			  Average number of hours worked per week by staff in child care providers, by ownership of setting, 2006 
			   Private  Voluntary  Local authority  School/college  Other 
			 Full day care 35 26 32 33 35 
			 Full day care in Children's Centres 35 34 34 34 35 
			 Sessional 17 16 20 25 15 
			 Out of school care 26 20 25 19 27 
			  Note: Data for other providers are not available by type of ownership. 
		
	
	Data prior to 2006 is not available for the average number of hours worked per week by staff in child care providers, by ownership of setting. The Childcare and Early Years Providers Survey collects information on the average(mean) number of hours per week that childminders accept children for during term time and during school holidays (i.e. the time open for, but the childminder may not necessarily actually be working the whole time). This information comes closest to representing what a typical weekly shift is for a childminder. Data for each year available is shown in the following table.
	
		
			  Average number of hours per week that children are accepted by a childminder 
			   Term time  School holidays 
			 2003 39 40 
			 2005 43 45 
			 2006 43 45 
			 2007 44 48

Children: Day Care

Maria Miller: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many and what proportion of childminders have been deregistered for each reason for deregistration in each year since 2003.

Dawn Primarolo: These are matters for Ofsted. The Chief Inspector, Christine Gilbert, has written to the hon. Member and copies of her replies have been placed in the Libraries.
	 Letter from Christine Gilbert, dated 1 September 2009:
	Your recent parliamentary question has been passed to me, as Her Majesty's Chief Inspector, for response.
	Table A shows figures for the number of childminders who have resigned or had their registrations cancelled. Figures showing cancelled and resigned childminders are retrieved from a snapshot of the Ofsted database at the end of each financial year: 2003-04, 2004-05, 2005-06, 2006-07 and 2008-09. Figures showing the total number of childminders are taken from a snapshot of the Ofsted database at the start of each financial year.
	Although Ofsted records reasons for cancellation and resignation on an individual basis, the information is not collated under categories, so it is not possible to produce aggregated data from it.
	A copy of this reply has been sent to Rt Hon Dawn Primarolo MP, Minister of State for Children, Young People and Families, and will be placed in the library of both Houses.
	
		
			  Table A: Numbers and proportions of childminders deregistered in each financial year since 2003/04 
			Childminders 
			Cancelled  Resigned  Total cancelled or resigned 
			  Financial year  Number of childminders at the beginning of the financial year  Number  Percentage  Number  Percentage  Number  Percentage 
			 2003/04 68,165 1,209 2 10,864 16 12,073 18 
			 2004/05 72,386 2,970 4 12,373 17 15,343 21 
			 2005/06 70,182 968 1 9,454 13 10,422 15 
			 2006/07 71,622 3,204 4 9,739 14 12,943 18 
			 2007/08 69,925 2,857 4 11,721 17 14,578 21 
			 2008/09 64,648 1,445 2 10,345 16 11,790 18 
			  Note: Percentages in the total column may not equal the sum of the other columns, because the figures are rounded.

Children: Day Care

Maria Miller: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families 
	(1)  how many and what proportion of  (a) day care settings and  (b) childminders in Basingstoke have been awarded a rating of (i) outstanding, (ii) good, (iii) satisfactory and (iv) inadequate following an inspection by Ofsted in each year since 2003;
	(2)  how many and what proportion of childminders were deemed inadequate by Ofsted in the 10 per cent.  (a) most and  (b) least deprived local authority areas in 2008-09;
	(3)  how many and what proportion of childminders were deemed inadequate by Ofsted in each year since inspections began;
	(4)  how many and what proportion of day care settings in the 10 per cent.  (a) most and  (b) least deprived local authority areas were awarded ratings of inadequate following an Ofsted inspection in 2008-09;
	(5)  how many and what proportion of day care settings were awarded ratings of inadequate following an Ofsted inspection in each year for which records are available.

Dawn Primarolo: These are matters for Ofsted. The Chief Inspector, Christine Gilbert, will write to the hon. Member and copies of her replies will be placed in the Libraries.
	 Letter from Miriam Rosen, dated 10 August 2009:
	Your recent parliamentary question has been passed to Ofsted for response. As Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Education, Children's Services and Skills, Christine Gilbert, is currently on leave, I am responding on her behalf.
	Tables A to F below show the inspection grades of day care settings and childminders in Basingstoke since 2003.
	The figures for each period are taken from a snapshot of data at the end of each financial year. These data only include providers that were active at this point. Additionally, the figures only count the most recent inspection outcome for each provision at the time of the snapshot, provided their inspection reports had been published or quality assured and not withdrawn from publication.
	Please note that the inspection judgements requested cover three inspection cycles. Those inspections carried out in the inspection cycle from April 2003 to end-March 2005 inspected the quality of provision against the National Standards for under-eights and were graded on a three point scale. Those from April 2005 to end-August 2008 were also inspected against the National Standards, but graded on the four point scale outlined in the question. It is not possible to operate a simple read-across approach from a three-to a four-point scale. Care should be taken when interpreting data for 'childcare on domestic premises' as the numbers are so small.
	There was a further change of inspection framework following the introduction of the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) in September 2008. At this point, Ofsted also changed the way in which we record day-care provision, categorising providers as childcare on domestic and non-domestic premises. These categories broadly relate to the previous category of group day-care provision. The data for September 2008 to March 2009 are presented separately and, as above, it is not possible to operate a simple read-across between inspection frameworks.
	Please note that the selection of provision for inspection each year is not random, so care needs to be taken when using the data.
	A copy of this reply has been sent to right hon. Dawn Primarolo MP, Minister of State for Children, Young People and Families, and will be placed in the Library of both Houses.
	
		
			  Table A: Inspection grades from inspections of childminders in Basingstoke, financial years 2003-05 
			   Good  Percentage  Satisfactory  Percentage  Unsatisfactory  Percentage  Total 
			 2003-04 22 33 45 67 0 0 67 
			 2004-05 93 64 52 36 0 0 145 
		
	
	
		
			  Table B: Inspection grades from inspections of childminders in Basingstoke, 2005-06 to end-August 2008 
			   Outstanding  Percentage  Good  Percentage  Satisfactory  Percentage  Inadequate  Percentage  Total 
			 2005-06 2 3 40 69 15 26 1 2 58 
			 2006-07 0 0 26 55 16 34 5 11 47 
			 2007-08 8 8 51 50 34 33 10 10 103 
			 1 April 200831 August 2008 2 10 7 35 9 45 2 10 20 
		
	
	
		
			  Table C: Inspection grades from inspections of childminders in Basingstoke, September 2008 to end-March 2009 
			   Outstanding  Percentage  Good  Percentage  Satisfactory  Percentage  Inadequate  Percentage  Total 
			 1 Sept. 200831 March 2009 7 17 17 40 14 33 4 10 42 
		
	
	
		
			  Table D: Inspection grades from inspections of day care providers in Basingstoke, financial years 2003-05 
			   Good  Percentage  Satisfactory  Percentage  Unsatisfactory  Percentage  Total 
			 2003-04 12 39 19 61 0 0 31 
			 2004-05 26 67 13 33 0 0 39 
		
	
	
		
			  Table E: Inspection grades from inspections of day care providers in Basingstoke, 2005-06 to end-August 2008 
			   Outstanding  Percentage  Good  Percentage  Satisfactory  Percentage  Inadequate  Percentage  Total 
			 2005-06 0 0 12 48 11 44 2 8 25 
			 2006-07 2 8 12 46 10 38 2 8 26 
			 2007-08 2 6 21 62 9 26 2 6 34 
			 1 April 200831 August 2008 0 0 5 63 3 38 0 0 8 
		
	
	
		
			  Table F: Inspection grades from inspections of childcare on domestic and non-domestic premises in Basingstoke, September 2008 to end-March 2009 
			   Outstanding  Percentage  Good  Percentage  Satisfactory  Percentage  Inadequate  Percentage  Total 
			 Non-domestic 3 17 9 50 4 22 2 11 18 
			 Domestic 0  0  0  0  0 
		
	
	Please note that percentages are rounded so may not add up to 100 per cent.
	Data refers to financial years but is also split for 2008-09 due to the change of inspection framework provision types on the 1 September 2008.

Children: Day Care

Maria Miller: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what the average number of staff vacancies in  (a) maintained nurseries,  (b) private, voluntary and independent nurseries and  (c) Sure Start children's centres was in each year since 2006.

Vernon Coaker: The Childcare and Early Years Providers Survey collects information on recruitment and staff vacancies in child care and early year's providers. Table 1 shows the proportion of full day care providers that were trying to recruit for vacancies in 2007, by type of staff and ownership of the provision. 2007 is the most recent year for which this information is available.
	
		
			  Table 1: Number of vacancies full day care providers are trying to recruit for, by staff type and type of ownership, 2007 
			  Percentage 
			   Private  Voluntary  Local authority  School/college  Other 
			  Senior managers  
			 None 89 87 74 91 100 
			 1 vacancy 9 13 15 9  
			 2 vacancies 1  4   
			 3 or more vacancies 1 
			  Supervisory staff  
			 None 45 58 24 42 76 
			 1 vacancy 41 39 40 39 24 
			 2 vacancies 12 2 11 14  
			 3 or more vacancies 2  26 5  
			   
			  Other paid staff  
			 None 45 38 63 42  
			 1 vacancy 36 37 6 29 24 
			 2 vacancies 14 19 20 30 57 
			 3 or more vacancies 3 2 10  19 
			  Note: Percentages may not sum to 100 per cent. due to 'don't know' responses or rounding. 
		
	
	Table 2 shows the proportion of full day care providers that were trying to recruit for vacancies in 2006, by type of staff and ownership of the provision. Data for previous years is not available in the format requested.
	
		
			  Table 2: Proportion of full day care providers trying to recruit for vacancies, by staff type and ownership, 2006 
			  Percentage 
			   Private  Voluntary  Local authority  School/college  Other 
			  Senior managers  
			 None 86 88 68 79 73 
			 1 vacancy 13 12 32 17 27 
			 2 vacancies 1 0 0 4 0 
			 3 or more vacancies 0 0 0 0 0 
			   
			  Supervisory staff  
			 None 42 49 37 43 81 
			 1 vacancy 44 46 36 48 10 
			 2 vacancies 10 5 13 5 9 
			 3 or more vacancies 3 0 14 4 0 
			   
			  Other paid staff  
			 None 51 43 61 53 35 
			 1 vacancy 34 42 14 35 48 
			 2 vacancies 11 13 15 4 9 
			 3 or more vacancies 4 1 10 4 8 
			  Note: Percentages may not sum to 100 per cent. due to 'don't know' responses or rounding. 
		
	
	The number of full day care providers in children's centres who were trying to recruit staff was too low for analysis to be carried out.

Children: Day Care

Maria Miller: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many and what proportion of child care  (a) places and  (b) providers there were in the (i) maintained and (ii) private, voluntary and independent sectors in (A) Hampshire and (B) England on the latest date for which figures are available.

Dawn Primarolo: Ofsted maintains the new registers established under the Childcare Act 2006. The chief inspector, Christine Gilbert, has written to the hon. Member and copies of her replies have been placed in the House Libraries.
	 Letter from Christine Gilbert, dated 8 September 2009:
	Your recent parliamentary question has been passed to me, as Her Majesty's Chief Inspector, for response.
	Table A provides figures for the total number of childcare providers registered with Ofsted and the maximum number of childcare places these providers offer in Hampshire and England as at 31 March 2009 and 30 June 2009. These figures represent 100 per cent of the childcare registered by Ofsted. Please note that we do not classify providers as 'maintained'.
	
		
			  Table A: Number of registered child care providers and maximum number of places offered 
			   Area  Total number of providers registered  Maximum number of registered places offered by providers for children under eight 
			 31 March 2009 England 95,926 1,546,900 
			  Hampshire 3,281 48,709 
			 
			 30 June 2009 England 95,535  
			  Hampshire 3,296  
		
	
	Please note that, as of 1 September 2008, the government introduced new arrangements for the registration of childcare providers through the Childcare Act 2006. There are now two registers: the Early Years Register (EYR) and the Childcare Register. The Childcare Register is subdivided into two parts, the compulsory part (CCR) and the voluntary part (VCR). Childcare providers may be registered on any combination of the EYR, CCR and VCR, depending on the age of the children in their care and the type of care offered. Those providers who care for children from birth to the 31 August following their fifth birthday must register on the EYR, unless they are in a category that is exempt from registration. Providers who care for older children who are under eight must be registered on the CCR. Other childcare providers, for example those caring for children over the age of eight, or caring for a child in the child's own home, are not required to register with Ofsted, but may join the VCR.
	Ofsted only sets the maximum number of places for childcare provision registered on the EYR and the CCR. Numbers of registered places therefore indicate the maximum number of children aged under eight that may be present at any one time. The figures are not the number of places occupied, nor the number of children who may benefit from receiving places through providers offering sessions at different times of the day.
	The maximum number of places figures as at 31 March 2009 were calculated by combining the maximum number of places recorded individually for both the Early Years Register (EYR) and the compulsory part of the Childcare Register (CCR) for each provider. As explained when Ofsted published the March 2009 figures, there is a strong possibility that these figures may be higher than the true overall maximum number of places, due to the duplication of places on both registers for some providers. Ofsted omitted the maximum numbers of childcare places as at 30 June 2009 from the figures published in July 2009, explaining that work was underway to improve the quality of these data. Ofsted will publish the maximum number of childcare places in the next childcare providers and places statistical release in October 2009, and in my Annual Report 2008/09, which will be published in November 2009.
	A copy of this reply has been sent to Rt Hon Dawn Primarolo MP, Minister of State for Children, Young People and Families, and will be placed in the library of both Houses.

Children: Day Care

Maria Miller: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many and what proportion of childcare staff had childcare qualifications which were obtained overseas in each of the last five years.

Vernon Coaker: The Childcare and Early Years Providers Survey collects information on staff qualifications that are relevant to working with children and young people. The percentage of paid staff in England holding an overseas qualification for each year available is shown in the following table. Information on the number of paid staff is not available.
	
		
			  Table 1: Proportion of all paid staff holding overseas qualifications 
			  Percentage 
			   2005  2006  2007 
			 Full day care 0.5 0.5 0.5 
			 Full day care in children's centres n/a 0.5 0 
			 Sessional 0.5 0.5 0.5 
			 After school clubs n/a 0.5 0.5 
			 Holiday clubs n/a 0.5 0.5 
			 Childminders n/a 0.5 0.5 
			 Nursery schools n/a 0.5 0.5 
			 Primary schools with nursery and reception classes n/a 1 0.5 
			 Primary schools with reception but no nursery classes n/a 0 0.5 
			  Notes: 1. Children's centres were included in the survey for the first time in 2006; therefore data is not available for previous years. 2. After school and holiday clubs were sampled differently in 2005 and comparable figures for this year are not available.  3. Early years settings in maintained schools were not included in the 2005 survey.

Children: Day Care

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what steps the Government has taken to ensure an adequate number of free nursery places from autumn 2009.

Dawn Primarolo: Section 6 of the Childcare Act 2006 places a new duty on all local authorities to secureso far as is reasonably practicablesufficient child care to meet the needs of parents (in particular those on low incomes or with disabled children) in their area.
	Local authorities are also legally required to secure a free Government-funded early education place (currently for 12.5 hours per week over a minimum of 38 weeks per year) for every three and four-year-old in their area. The offer will be extended to 15 hours per week, delivered more flexibly to better suit families' needs, by September 2010. From September 2009, most local authorities, including Coventry, are offering the increased entitlement to 25 per cent. of their most disadvantaged three and four-year-olds, as part of the phasing in of the full extension by 2010.
	In addition, the Department is working with Government offices to support all local authorities to roll out an offer of free, Government-funded, early learning and care to 15 per cent. of the most disadvantaged two-year-olds in their area from September 2009.

Children: Day Care

Parmjit Dhanda: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families whether the 671,000 grant allocated to Gloucester City Council by his Department from the workplace nurseries capital initiative has been repaid.

Dawn Primarolo: Gloucestershire local authority was allocated 671,770 capital funding for workplace nurseries in 2008-09. This formed part of the main capital block of the Sure Start, early years and child care grant and contributed to the authority's total allocation of 7,167,636 in that block.
	Funding in this block is not ring-fenced and the authority has the freedom to decide how much to spend on each area supported by the grant, in line with local needs and priorities.
	Local authorities claim their capital funding quarterly throughout the year and should only claim for what they have spent. The Department then makes adjustments based on audited returns. The audited returns for 2008-09 are not yet due, and therefore we do not have information on how much has been spent by authorities in that year.
	The Department allows the carry-forward of unspent capital annually until the end of 2010-11 financial year.

Children: Social Services

Maria Miller: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families 
	(1)  how much his Department has allocated to the Together for Children programme in 2010-11;
	(2)  how much funding his Department has allocated to Together for Children  (a) in each year since its establishment and (b) for 2009-10;
	(3)  how much has been allocated to local authorities to employ Serco in supporting the implementation of the Sure Start programme in  (a) each of the last three years and  (b) 2010-11.

Vernon Coaker: Together for Children, a consortium of Serco, Tempus Resourcing Ltd, 4Children and Continyou, was contracted as the Department's delivery partner for Sure Start Children's Centres in October 2006 to provide support to local authorities to plan and deliver their children's centre programmes. The following table gives details of the cost of the contract for each year since its commencement. The costs of the contract are met centrally by the Department. The Department has allocated approximately 7.2 billion to local authorities in capital and revenue funding for Sure Start Children's Centres and predecessor Sure Start Local Programmes since the inception of the programme.
	
		
			  Total cost (excluding VAT) 
			   ( million) 
			 2006-07 3.4 
			 2007-08 6.5 
			 2008-09 7.2 
			 2009-10(1) 7.5 
			 2010-11(1) 3.7 
			 (1) Estimated costs on current workplans

Children's Centres

Maria Miller: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many Sure Start children's centres have been built in each month of 2009.

Dawn Primarolo: At the end of July 2009 a total of 135 Sure Start Children's Centres were designated across England in 2009. The following table gives the number of children's centres designated in each month.
	
		
			  Month  Number of Sure Start Children's Centres delivered 
			 January 4 
			 February 4 
			 March 93 
			 April 1 
			 May 3 
			 June 18 
			 July 12 
			 Total 135

Children's Centres

Stephen Hepburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families 
	(1)  what estimate he has made of the number of Sure Start Children's Centres to be operational in 2010;
	(2)  how many Sure Start Children's Centres have  (a) opened and  (b) closed in (i) Jarrow constituency, (ii) South Tyneside, (iii) the North East and (iv) England in each year since the inception of Sure Start centres;
	(3)  how much capital his Department has provided for Sure Start children's centres in  (a) Jarrow constituency,  (b) South Tyneside,  (c) the North East and  (d) England in each year since the establishment of Sure Start;
	(4)  how many outreach workers have been employed in  (a) Jarrow constituency,  (b) South Tyneside,  (c) the North East and  (d) England in each year since 1997.

Vernon Coaker: We are on track to achieve our target of at least 3,500 Sure Start children's centres by March 2010, offering access to services for all children under five and their families. As of 31 July 2009, there were 3,052 centres operational in England, providing access to services for over 2.4 million children and their families.
	The following table gives details of how many centres have opened in (i) Jarrow constituency, (ii) South Tyneside, (iii) the North East and (iv) England in each year since the inception of Sure Start children's centres. To date, no centres have been closed.
	
		
			  Table 1: Children's centres opened 
			   Jarrow  South Tyneside  North East  England 
			 2003 0 0 6 59 
			 2004 1 2 25 130 
			 2005 2 1 20 254 
			 2006 1 2 63 604 
			 2007 1 1 33 838 
			 2008 0 1 35 1,029 
			 2009 0 0 5 138 
			 Total 5 7 187 3,052 
		
	
	The Department allocates capital and revenue funding for children's centres and their predecessor Sure Start local programmes to local authorities. It is for local authorities to decide how to allocate funding between individual centres. The following table contains details of the capital allocations for South Tyneside, the North East and England in each of the years since the inception of the Sure Start programme.
	
		
			  Table 2: Capital funding 
			   
			   South Tyneside  North East  England 
			 1999-2006(1) 5,000,000 61,642,396 479,638,144 
			 
			 2003-04(2) 0 1,500 1,947,523 
			 2004-06 2,269,434 28,138,878 320,870,605 
			 2006-07(3) 634,779 13,226,762 272,254,576 
			 2007-08(3) 1,227,885 24,026,753 545,033,570 
			 2008-09 26,631 4,701,609 81,000,006 
			 2009-10 45,999 3,867,777 169,000,002 
			 2010-11 48,403 2,534,107 100,999,997 
			 (1) The first Sure Start Local Programmes (SSLPs) were set up in 1999-2000. SSLPs received a single capital allocation for the period 1999-2000 to 2005-06. (2) Sure Start children's centres were introduced from 2003-04. All former SSLPs have now become children's centres. Capital funding for the Sure Start children's centres capital programme was made available from 2003-04. (3) The 2006-07 and 2007-08 allocations are for the wider main capital block and includes funding for child care sustainability and extended schools, during these years local authorities had the flexibility to decide how much of their total capital allocation to spend on children's centres and were not required to provide a breakdown of the funding provided for children's centres. 
		
	
	From 2006-07 children's centres capital formed part of the wider main capital funding block. From 2008-09 the block comprised of funding for children's centres, early years provision, child care and integrated projects. Funding in the main capital block is not ring-fenced and local authorities have the freedom to decide how much of their total capital allocation to spend on children's centres in line with local priorities.
	The Department does not collect information on the number of outreach workers employed by children's centres. Staffing levels are a matter for local management by local authorities and their partner agencies.

Children's Centres: Hertfordshire

Michael Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many further Sure Start children's centres are planned for  (a) Hemel Hempstead constituency,  (b) Dacorum and  (c) Hertfordshire; and when he expects all such centres to be operational.

Dawn Primarolo: Hertfordshire local authority currently has 51 Sure Start Children's Centres offering services to approximately 42,400 children, with a further 31 planned to be delivered by March 2010 in order to provide universal coverage of children's centre services for children under five and their families. Of the 31 planned centres, four will be located in Dacorum. There are no further centres planned for the Hemel Hempstead constituency.

Children's Centres: Manpower

Maria Miller: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many and what proportion of Sure Start children's centres have  (a) a full-time manager and  (b) a manager shared with other children's centres.

Dawn Primarolo: The Department does not collect this information. Local authorities have strategic responsibility for the management of Sure Start Children's Centres and the freedom and flexibility to establish management arrangements that are appropriate to the local context and the needs of their communities, especially taking into account the levels of disadvantage.

Children's Centres: Manpower

Maria Miller: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families whether his Department has issued any recent guidance on the recommended number of outreach workers employed in each Sure Start children's centre in the most deprived communities.

Dawn Primarolo: The latest guidance on the recommended number of outreach workers employed in each Sure Start children's centre serving the most deprived communities is in 'Sure Start Children's Centres: Phase 3 Planning and Delivery', issued by the Department in November 2007. This suggests that in the most disadvantaged areas teams should include at least three outreach workers per children's centre. It is for local authorities, working with their children's trust partners, to determine staffing levels in each centre based on an assessment of local needs.

Children's Trusts

Rob Marris: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what steps he is taking to increase the participation of community and voluntary sector organisations in Children's Trusts.

Vernon Coaker: The Apprenticeships, Skills, Children and Learning Bill 2009 currently before Parliament will enable third sector organisations to become formal members of the Children's Trust Board. Subject to consultation, statutory guidance will make clear that every Children's Trust Board should include third sector representation. Additionally, we propose to require through regulations that the voluntary, private and independent sector must be consulted by the Children's Trust Board on the preparation of the Children and Young People's Plan.

Departmental Manpower

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many staff there were in  (a) his Department's predecessor in 1997 and  (b) his Department on the latest date for which figures are available.

Diana Johnson: Staffing information for the Department for Children Schools and Families and its predecessor in 1997, Department for Education and Employment, is published on the Civil Service website at:
	http://www.civilservice.gov.uk/about/who/statistics/index.aspx

Departmental Marketing

Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families with reference to the answer of 25 November 2008,  Official Report, column 1423W, on departmental marketing, how many staff in his Department are responsible for branding activity; and what the cost of employing such staff was in 2008-09.

Diana Johnson: The Department has one full-time equivalent member of staff responsible for branding activity, employed at a cost of 45,256.75 in 2008-09.

Departmental Motor Vehicles

Andrew Stunell: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how much his Department spent on hire vehicles in each of the last five financial years.

Vernon Coaker: The data requested was for the Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF). DCSF was established under the machinery of Government changes on 28 June 2007, therefore the response covers its predecessor the Department for Education and Skills (DFES).
	Total spend for hire vehicles during the last five financial years is 618,315.00.

Departmental Non-Domestic Rates

Justine Greening: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many properties owned by the Department and its predecessors were liable for payment of  (a) business rates and  (b) empty property rates in each of the last five years; and what the bill for each was in each such year.

Diana Johnson: The Department for Children, Schools and Families and its predecessors has spent the following on business rates in each of the last five years. The Department did not own any properties that were subject to empty property rates during this period.
	
		
			  Business rates 
			   
			  Property  2004-05  2005-06  2006-07  2007- 08  2008-09 
			 Wales Bar Sheffield 23,028 21,005 18,881 16,699 4,261 
			 Castle View House Runcorn 322,368 320,496 320,961 326,118 309,540 
			 Mowden Hall Darlington 187,335 184,414 189,221 194,028 201,275 
			 Sheffield Nursery 4,788 5,768 6,711 0 0 
			 Moorfoot Sheffield 912,000 1,075,866 1,117,140 939,060 977,130 
			 Total 1,449,519 1,607,549 1,652,914 1,475,905 1,492,206

Departmental Official Hospitality

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how much his Department has spent on hospitality in the last 12 months.

Vernon Coaker: holding answer 13 July 2009
	Details of expenditure on entertainment incurred by the Department are set out as follows:
	2008-09: 17,371
	This figure shows the cost of personal entertainment incurred directly by Ministers and senior departmental officials in order to further departmental business.
	The Department's policy on entertainment is in accordance with the principles of Treasury guidance in Managing Public Money and the handbook on Regularity, Propriety and Value for Money.
	Entertainment expenditure is limited to occasions when official business can best be transacted in that way. Personal entertainment, in the form of hospitality, is usually restricted to where senior managers (deputy director or above) are acting as host and expenditure must be approved in advance by a director or executive board member.

Departmental Official Hospitality

Theresa Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families pursuant to the answer of 12 January 2009,  Official Report, column 9W, on departmental official hospitality, how much his Department spent on entertainment and hospitality in 2008-09.

Diana Johnson: Details of expenditure on entertainment incurred by the Department are set out as follows:
	2008-09: 17,371
	The figure includes expenditure incurred by Ministers and senior departmental officials. The figure excludes costs incurred as part of official events or formal meetings held to further departmental business which are not separately identifiable on the Department's accounting system.
	The Department's policy on entertainment is in accordance with the principles of Treasury guidance in Managing Public Money and the handbook on Regularity, Propriety and Value for Money.
	Entertainment expenditure is limited to occasions when official business can best be transacted in that way. Personal entertainment, in the form of hospitality, is usually restricted to where senior managers (deputy director or above) are acting as host and expenditure must be approved in advance by a director or executive board member.

Departmental Pay

Justine Greening: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what employee reward schemes are offered to staff of his Department; what the purpose of each scheme is; how many staff participate in each scheme; and what the cost of operating each scheme was in each of the last five years.

Diana Johnson: Under the Department's reward and recognition policies(1), employees can receive one or more of the following:
	 Non-Con solidated Performance Payment
	One-off performance payment where an employee below the senior civil service (SCS) is judged to have performed to category level 1 or 2+ or a member of the SCS is judged to have performed to performance groups 1 and 2 levels in the reporting year.
	
		
			   Staff  
			   Number  Percentage  Total (SCS and non SCS) ( million) 
			 2004-05 1,447 32 1.5 
			 2005-06 1,408 33 1.8 
			 2006-07 1,235 33 1.9 
			 2007-08 1,669 51 2.1 
			 2008-09 1,403 51 1.9 
		
	
	 Instant Reward( 2)
	One-off payment in the form of a voucher based on staff nomination of any DCSF employee, team or directorate whose actions have demonstrated initiative and significant impact in relation to the departmental priority areas of outcome and people management, customer service or collaborative working
	
		
			   Staff (number)  Total () 
			 2007-08 1,695 103,495 
			 2008-09 2,464 151,315 
		
	
	 Staff Suggestion scheme
	One-off payment for employee ideas judged by the relevant team, based on criteria, to merit a cash reward.
	
		
			   Staff (number)  Total () 
			 2004-05 1 50 
			 2005-06 8 250 
			 2006-07 0 0 
			 2007-08 2 75 
			 2008-09 5 200 
		
	
	 Long Service Award( 3)
	For completion of 25 years service where employees are eligible for a gift up to the value of 250, or one week's paid special leave.
	
		
			   Staff (number)  Total () 
			 2004-05  0 
			 2005-06  0 
			 2006-07 19 2,848 
			 2007-08 24 5,750 
			 2008-09 36 9,000 
		
	
	(1) Department for Education and Skills to 27 June 2007 and Department for Children, Schools and Families from 28 June 2007
	2 Introduced in July 2007
	(3) Based on those employees taking the cash option.

Education Maintenance Allowance: Hertfordshire

Michael Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many students in post-16 education in  (a) Hemel Hempstead constituency and  (b) Dacorum are in receipt of education maintenance allowance.

Dawn Primarolo: This is a matter for the Learning and Skills Council (LSC) who operate the education maintenance allowance (EMA) for the Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF). Geoffrey Russell the LSC's Acting Chief Executive, will write to the hon. Member with the information requested and a copy of his reply will be placed in the House Libraries.

Education: Hertfordshire

Michael Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how much capital expenditure from the public purse there has been in the education sector in  (a) Hemel Hempstead constituency and  (b) Dacorum since 1997.

Vernon Coaker: The Department allocates much of its capital resources to local authority areas. Information by constituency or for Dacorum only is not held centrally. Support for capital investment in schools in Hertfordshire is shown in the table.
	
		
			  Financial year  Schools ( million) 
			 1997-98 12.0 
			 1998-99 14.9 
			 1999-2000 15.2 
			 2000-01 36.7 
			 2001-02 32.1 
			 2002-03 56.7 
			 2003-04 55.2 
			 2004-05 75.7 
			 2005-06 78.2 
			 2006-07 68.0 
			 2007-08 65.9 
			 2008-09 (1)68.2 
			 2009-10 (1)88.6 
			 2010-11 (1)48.0 
			 (1) Includes Primary Capital Programme. Figures reflect capital allocations brought forward from 2010-11 to 2009-10 as part of the fiscal stimulus initiative. 
		
	
	In addition, Hertfordshire has a Building Schools for the Future wave 4 project with an indicative allocation of 134.5 million of conventional funding and 148.2 million of PFI credits.

Educational Visits: Vetting

Graham Brady: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what guidance his Department provides on overseas exchange visits for children of school age, with particular reference to whether Criminal Records Bureau checks should be undertaken for  (a) British families having contact with children and  (b) overseas families who have contact with visiting British children.

Dawn Primarolo: Chapter 4 of the Safeguarding Children and Safer Recruitment in Education guidance, which came into force on 1 January 2007, sets out the Department's strong recommendation that volunteers who help regularly with activities associated with the school or further education college and are in unsupervised contact with children, including new host families who provide care for students from overseas, should be CRB checked.
	Under the new vetting and barring scheme those who provide care and accommodation for children under 18 for reward or by arrangement made outside the family will be engaged in 'regulated activity', and this is made clear in interim guidance the Government are issuing today about the new scheme. This means that in a two parent family, both parents will have to register with the scheme. Further guidance about registration with the ISA, which begins in summer 2010, will be produced in due course. We cannot impose this requirement on host families in other countries who provide care for British children.
	However schools should satisfy themselves that adequate safeguarding arrangements have been put in place to protect children.

GCSE/Further Education

Graham Stuart: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families 
	(1)  what percentage of children living in a two-parent household gained 5 GCSEs at grade A* to C in each year since 1997; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what percentage of children living in a single-parent household with their  (a) mother and  (b) father gained 5 GCSEs at grade A* to C in each year since 1997; and if he will make a statement;
	(3)  what percentage of children living in a two-parent household went on to study  (a) for A-levels and  (b) for a university course in each year since 1997; and if he will make a statement;
	(4)  what percentage of children living in a single-parent household with their  (a) mother and  (b) father went on to study (i) for A-levels and (ii) for a university course in each year since 1997; and if he will make a statement.

Vernon Coaker: The Department does not hold administrative data on the attainment and progression in learning of young people by household characteristics for each year since 1997, but it does hold survey-based estimates of GCSE results and progression to A-level for the years 1999, 2001, 2003 and 2006, and for progression to Higher Education in the years 2001, 2003 and 2005.
	Table 1 is derived from the Youth Cohort Study (data from 1999 to 2006) and the Longitudinal Study of Young People in England (2006 only). It shows the proportion of young people in England from two-parent, lone father, and lone mother households who achieved 5 GCSEs at A*-C in the years 1999, 2001, 2003 and 2006.
	
		
			  Table 1 
			   Percentage gaining 5 GCSEs (inc equivalents) at A*C by Year 11 in given year 
			   1999  2000  2001  2002  2003  2004  2005  2006 
			 Two parents 52  56  57   64 
			 Father only 40  32  34   42 
			 Mother only 40  39  41   47 
			  Notes: 1. Data relate to England and Wales, however, 2006 relates to England only. 2. Cases which are missing, not applicable, refused, not stated, or not known are excluded.  Source:  YCS Cohorts 10, 11, 12, 13; LSYPE Wave 4. 
		
	
	Tables 2a and 2b overleaf are derived from the Youth Cohort Study and the Longitudinal Study of Young People in England. They show:
	 (a) The proportion of young people from two-parent lone-father and lone-mother families who went of to study A-levels (AS or A2) at the age (academic) of 16.
	 (b) The proportion of young people from two-parent, lone-father and lone-mother families who began a full-time Higher Education course at the age (academic) of 18.
	
		
			  Table 2a 
			   Percentage studying for A-levels(AS or A2) at academic age 16 
			   1999  2000  2001  2002  2003  2004  2005  2006 
			 Two parents 44  48  51   53 
			 Father only 32  24  30   34 
			 Mother only 33  33  35   40 
			  Notes: 1. Data relate to England and Wales, however data for 2006 relates to England only. 2. Cases which are missing, not applicable, refused, not stated, or not known are excluded.  Source:  YCS Cohorts 10, 11, 12, 13; LSYPE Wave 4 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 2b 
			   Percentage studying full-time HE at academic age 18 
			   2001  2002  2003  2004  2005 
			 Two parents 27  30  33 
			 Father only 19  15  20 
			 Mother only 20  18  23 
			  Notes: 1. Data relate to England and Wales 2. Cases which are missing, not applicable, refused, not stated, or not known are excluded. Sou rce:  YCS Cohorts 10, 11, 12

Pre-School Education: Finance

Maria Miller: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what funds his Department has made available to increase the early years entitlement to 25 hours per week from September 2009.

Dawn Primarolo: From September 2009, all local authorities will roll out an extended 15-hour, flexible, free, early education entitlement to their most disadvantaged children. A year later the rollout will be completed, with every three and four-year-old eligible to receive 15 hours early education free per week, to be delivered more flexibly in response to parental demand.
	590 million has been made available over 2008-11 to fund the additional 2.5 hours per week of provision and more flexible delivery. This funding is over and above that which local authorities currently receive through the Dedicated Schools Grant (DSG) for a 12 and a half hour free entitlement.
	Over the same period, 642 million capital funding has been made available to improve the quality and capacity of child care in the private, voluntary and independent (PVI) sector, to help deliver the extension of the 15 hours free entitlement for three and four-year-olds and equip settings with facilities for children with disabilities so there are no barriers for any child accessing child care.
	The Government have also committed, from 2011, to funding the cost of all children starting school in the September after their fourth birthday, and the full-time costs (up to 25 hours per week) of those children whose parents would prefer them to be in private or voluntary early years provision.

Pre-School Education: Finance

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what proportion of  (a) Sure Start,  (b) Early Years and  (c) Childcare Grant allocations has been retained by each local authority in each of the last three years for which figures are available; and what the total (i) revenue and (ii) capital allocation was in each case.

Dawn Primarolo: Local authorities do not retain unspent allocation of the Sure Start, Early Years and Childcare Grant (SSEYCG). The Department claws back any unspent allocation of revenue following receipt of audited statements of expenditure. The Department also does this for capital allocations but offers carry-forward of unspent capital each year until the end of March 2011 (2010-11 financial year).
	The information requested has been placed in the House Libraries. The SSEYCG allocations for each local authority for the last three years are given in Table 1. The spend by local authorities for the last three years for which figures are available are given in Table 2.
	The SSEYCG is not divided into the three categories of  (a) Sure Start,  (b) Early Years and  (c) Childcare Grant and local authorities do not report on that basis. The SSEYCG is made up of broad ring-fenced blocks.
	In 2009-10 there were nine blocks: Main Revenue, Sure Start Local Programmes, Disabled Children's Access to Childcare, Two-year-olds Offer, 0 to seven Partnerships Pilots, Work Focused Services, Aiming High for Disabled Children Revenue, Main Capital and Aiming High for Disabled Children Capital. The grant structure is detailed in the Memorandum of Grant which was sent to local authorities' chief executives and directors of children's services on 19 February 2009.

Primary Capital Programme

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how much is planned to be spent under the Primary Capital Programme in each local authority in 2009-10.

Vernon Coaker: The amount planned to be spent under the Primary Capital Programme in each local authority in 2009-10 is set out in the following table. This includes the main allocation as well as advances from 2010-11 that some authorities applied for. A few allocations may be subject to re-phasing into next year, dependent upon local spend patterns of spending.
	
		
			  000 
			  Local Authority  Main  Advance 
			 Barking and Dagenham 3,741  
			 Barnet 4,303 2,500 
			 Barnsley 3,419  
			 Bath and North East Somerset 3,000  
			 Bedfordshire 3,436  
			 Bexley 3,032  
			 Birmingham 18,274  
			 Blackburn with Darwen 3,177  
			 Blackpool 3,000  
			 Bolton 4,013  
			 Bournemouth 3,000  
			 Bracknell Forest 3,000 1,000 
			 Bradford 7,531 1,860 
			 Brent 4,655  
			 Brighton and Hove 3,075  
			 Bristol, City of 4,899 7,277 
			 Bromley 3,459  
			 Buckinghamshire 4,035  
			 Bury 3,000  
			 Calderdale 3,148  
			 Cambridgeshire 4,969  
			 Camden 3,503  
			 Cheshire 6,025  
			 Cornwall 4,797 3,000 
			 Coventry 4,524 4,890 
			 Croydon 4,937  
			 Cumbria 4,994  
			 Darlington 3,000  
			 Derby 3,786  
			 Derbyshire 7,038  
			 Devon 5,840 6,000 
			 Doncaster 4,229  
			 Dorset 3,000  
			 Dudley 4,202  
			 Durham 6,016  
			 Ealing 4,704 4,182 
			 East Riding of Yorkshire 3,303  
			 East Sussex 4,529  
			 Enfield 5,057  
			 Essex 10,643  
			 Gateshead 3,125 5,503 
			 Gloucestershire 4,988  
			 Greenwich 4,652 1,958 
			 Hackney 4,551 2,000 
			 Halton 3,000  
			 Hammersmith and Fulham 3,159  
			 Hampshire 9,447  
			 Haringey 4,790  
			 Harrow 3,395 4,000 
			 Hartlepool 3,000 2,000 
			 Havering 3,000  
			 Herefordshire 3,000  
			 Hertfordshire 8,694  
			 Hillingdon 3,893  
			 Hounslow 3,633  
			 Isle of Wight 3,000  
			 Islington 4,051  
			 Kensington and Chelsea 3,000  
			 Kent 11,438  
			 Kingston Upon Hull, City of 3,446  
			 Kingston upon Thames 3,000 1,000 
			 Kirklees 5,064  
			 Knowsley 3,449  
			 Lambeth 4,900  
			 Lancashire 10,460  
			 Leeds 8,374  
			 Leicester 4,954 7,332 
			 Leicestershire 5,042  
			 Lewisham 4,361 1,000 
			 Lincolnshire 5,398 1,000 
			 Liverpool 7,091 2,000 
			 Luton 3,650 6,028 
			 Manchester 9,141  
			 Medway 3,404  
			 Merton 3,000  
			 Middlesbrough 3,202  
			 Milton Keynes 3,269  
			 Newcastle upon Tyne 4,205  
			 Newham 6,010 8,388 
			 Norfolk 7,611  
			 North East Lincolnshire 3,000 775 
			 North Lincolnshire 3,000  
			 North Somerset 3,000 5,378 
			 North Tyneside 3,000  
			 North Yorkshire 4,794  
			 Northamptonshire 5,699 8,077 
			 Northumberland 3,000  
			 Nottingham 4,561  
			 Nottinghamshire 7,177  
			 Oldham 4,196  
			 Oxfordshire 5,167  
			 Peterborough 3,000  
			 Plymouth 3,308  
			 Poole 3,000  
			 Portsmouth 3,000  
			 Reading 3,000  
			 Redbridge 4,005 3,643 
			 Redcar and Cleveland 3,000 2,588 
			 Richmond upon Thames 3,000  
			 Rochdale 3,811  
			 Rotherham 3,840  
			 Rutland 3,000  
			 Salford 4,147  
			 Sandwell 4,825  
			 Sefton 3,618  
			 Sheffield 5,923  
			 Shropshire 3,038  
			 Slough 3,000  
			 Solihull 3,000  
			 Somerset 4,220  
			 South Gloucestershire 3,000  
			 South Tyneside 3,000  
			 Southampton 3,241  
			 Southend-on-Sea 3,000  
			 Southwark 5,051  
			 St. Helens 3,040  
			 Staffordshire 6,816  
			 Stockport 3,304  
			 Stockton-on-Tees 3,066  
			 Stoke-on-Trent 4,178  
			 Suffolk 5,172  
			 Sunderland 4,092  
			 Surrey 7,494  
			 Sutton 3,000  
			 Swindon 3,000  
			 Tameside 3,378  
			 Telford and Wrekin 3,000  
			 Thurrock 3,000 5,200 
			 Torbay 3,000  
			 Tower Hamlets 6,556 2,000 
			 Trafford 3,000  
			 Wakefield 4,192  
			 Walsall 4,358  
			 Waltham Forest 4,242  
			 Wandsworth 3,809  
			 Warrington 3,000  
			 Warwickshire 4,796 500 
			 West Berkshire 3,000  
			 West Sussex 5,407 2,000 
			 Westminster 3,166  
			 Wigan 3,894  
			 Wiltshire 3,965  
			 Windsor and Maidenhead 3,000  
			 Wirral 4,838  
			 Wokingham 3,000  
			 Wolverhampton 3,949  
			 Worcestershire 4,525  
			 York 3,000  
			 Total 647,998 106,579

Primary Capital Programme: North Yorkshire

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many schools in  (a) the Value of York and  (b) North Yorkshire have participated in the Primary Capital Programme in 2009.

Vernon Coaker: Funding for the national roll out of the Primary Capital Programme commenced in April 2009. It follows that very few of the projects to be funded wholly or partly through the programme have actually commenced on site at this stage. I am pleased to confirm, however, that North Yorkshire's county council's Primary Strategy for Change has been approved and funding of 11.97 million to support local delivery over the two year period 2009-11 has been duly confirmed. Decisions about the prioritisation of individual projects are rightly matters for local determination. My officials have been advised following inquiries made to officers at North Yorkshire that building work is expected to commence shortly at the following schools:
	Norton Community Primary School
	Hinderwell Community Primary School
	Barrowcliffe Community Primary School
	Friarage Community Primary School
	Although none of these schools are located in the Vale of York constituency, the programme aims to support local authorities in renewing around half of all primary schools by 2023. More detailed information about the work planned can be obtained from the local authority.

Primary Education: Finance

Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families whether the 200 million allocated to provide additional primary school places in areas with shortages announced on 15 July 2009 will affect funding for new primary provision in areas which have surplus places.

Vernon Coaker: On 15 July, we announced that we would make up to 200 million available for authorities which are experiencing and forecasting exceptionally high rates of growth in demand for reception places to 2011, to support the provision of permanent places where there is greatest need. Our guidance on this funding includes that authorities which do not have high growth in reception class demand overall, may still apply where they have areas within their borders where there is high growth. We would, however, expect authorities which have high levels of surplus places to justify why these cannot be used to accommodate the additional children.

Pupil Exclusions

Graham Stuart: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families 
	(1)  what percentage of children living in a two-parent household were permanently excluded from school in each year since 1997; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what percentage of children living in a single-parent household with their  (a) mother and  (b) father were permanently excluded from school in each year since 1997; and if he will make a statement.

Vernon Coaker: The Department does not collect data on household background of excluded pupils. The latest available information on exclusions was recently published at:
	http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/SFR/s000860/index.shtml
	However, we recognise the importance of parental engagement in their children's learning and that there is a range of evidence that parental relationship breakdown, leading to conflict, has a negative impact on child outcomes. Our aim is to improve outcomes for children by preventing family breakdown where possible and by minimising the negative effects of parental separation on children's well-being.
	The Children's Plan: Progress Report, published in December 2008, further outlined Ministers' strategy for improving parents' engagement in children's learning and development through providing direct support for parents and mainstreaming parental engagement in all our policy interventions including children's centres, 21st century schools, National and City Challenges, the workforce strategy, and parenting support programmes.

Pupils: Epilepsy

Andrew Pelling: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families if he will collect information on  (a) levels of epilepsy in schools and  (b) educational attainment of pupils with epilepsy.

Diana Johnson: holding answer 14 September 2009
	 The School Census collects data on the numbers of children with special educational needs (SEN) and we publish data on their educational attainment. For those children at School Action Plus or with a statement, data are collected on their primary need in 12 categories. The latest figures can be found in Special Educational Needs in England: January 2009 (SFR14/2009)
	http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/SFR/s000852/index.shtml.
	There is not a specific category for children with epilepsy, although where they have a special educational need, they will be captured in the overall SEN figures.
	In the joint Department for Children, Schools and Families and Department of Health publication Healthy Lives: Brighter Futures, The strategy for children and young people's health (February 2009),
	http://www.dh.gov.uk/en/Publicationsandstatistics/Publications/PublicationsPolicyAndGuidance/DH_094400
	we provided an estimate of the number of children with epilepsy in an average Primary Care Trust area
	In an average-sized health community, with a population of around 80,000 children and young people up to the age of 18...over 300 will have epilepsy.

Pupils: Per Capita Costs

Shailesh Vara: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what the funding allocation per  (a) secondary and  (b) primary school pupil was in each local authority area in the East of England in each of the last five years.

Vernon Coaker: The per pupil revenue funding figures for primary and secondary schools pupils for East of England local authorities in 2004-05 and 2005-06 are as follows. These figures are in real terms:
	
		
			  Real terms revenue fundingEFS plus grants 
			   
			   Primary pupils (3-10 years)  Secondary pupils (11-15 years) 
			   2004-05  2005-06  2004-05  2005-06 
			 Bedfordshire 3,637 3,861 4,624 4,809 
			 Luton 4,122 4,379 5,260 5,484 
			 Cambridgeshire 3,616 3,829 4,456 4,641 
			 Peterborough 3,931 4,157 4,935 5,138 
			 Essex 3,735 3,922 4,708 4,845 
			 Southend-on-Sea 3,806 4,005 4,854 5,035 
			 Thurrock 3,997 4,134 5,225 5,287 
			 Hertfordshire 3,663 3,828 4,627 4,738 
			 Norfolk 3,697 3,919 4,547 4,709 
			 Suffolk 3,495 3,696 4,397 4,545 
			  Notes:  1. Price Base: Real terms at 2008-09 prices, based on GDP deflators as at 30 June 2009.  2. Figures reflect relevant sub-blocks of Education Formula Spending (EFS) settlements and include the pensions transfer to EFS.  3. Total funding also includes all revenue grants in DfES Departmental Expenditure Limits relevant to pupils aged 3-15 and exclude education maintenance allowances (EMAs) and grants not allocated at LEA level.  4. The pupil numbers used to convert  million figures to  per pupil are those underlying the EFS settlement calculations.  5. Rounding: Figures are rounded to the nearest 10.  6. Status: Some of the grant allocations have not been finalised. If these do change, the effect on the funding figures is expected to be minimal. 
		
	
	The revenue per pupil figures shown in the following table are taken from the new Dedicated Schools Grant (DSG). They are not comparable with those for the years 2004-05 to 2005-06 because the introduction of the DSG in 2006-07 fundamentally changed how local authorities are funded.
	The 2004-05 to 2005-06 figures are based on Education Formula Spending (EFS) which formed the education part of the Local Government Finance Settlement, plus various grants. This was an assessment of what local authorities needed to fund education rather than what they spent. The DSG is based largely on an authority's previous spending. In addition, the DSG has a different coverage to EFS. EFS comprised a schools block and an LEA block (to cover LEA central functions) whereas DSG only covers the school block. LEA block items are still funded through DCLG's Local Government Finance Settlement but education items cannot be separately identified. Consequently, there is a break in the Department's time series as the two sets of data are not comparable. An alternative time series is currently under development.
	To provide a comparison for 2006-07 DSG, the Department have isolated the schools block equivalent funding in 2005-06; as described above, this does not represent the totality of education funding in that year.
	The per pupil revenue funding figures for years 2005-06 (baseline) to 2008-09 for East of England local authorities are provided in the following table.
	The figures for 2009-10 are not currently available as figures for grants at a local authority level are still in the process of being finalised. The figures for 2009-10 will be available later in the financial year.
	As the DSG is a mechanism for distributing funding, a split between primary and secondary schools is not available. The figures below are for all funded pupils aged 3-19 and are in real terms:
	
		
			  Real terms revenue fundingDSG plus grants 
			   
			   All pupils (3-19 years) 
			   2005-06( 1)  2006-07  2007-08  2008-09 
			 Bedfordshire 4,073 4,189 4,338 4,413 
			 Luton 4,523 4,716 4,906 4,957 
			 Cambridgeshire 3,932 4,059 4,201 4,281 
			 Peterborough 4,392 4,533 4,684 4,790 
			 Essex 4,117 4,228 4,382 4,447 
			 Southend-on-Sea 4,328 4,445 4579 4,624 
			 Thurrock 4,270 4,477 4,655 4,699 
			 Hertfordshire 4,144 4,234 4,382 4,504 
			 Norfolk 4,090 4,192 4,348 4,405 
			 Suffolk 3,957 4,080 4,249 4,323 
			 (1) Baseline.  Notes:  1. This covers funding through the Dedicated Schools Grant, School Standards Grant, School Standards Grant (Personalisation) and Standards Fund as well as funding from the Learning and Skills Council; it excludes grants which are not allocated at LA level.  2. Price Base: Real terms at 2008-09 prices, based on GDP deflators as at 30 June 2009.  3. These figures are for all funded pupils aged 3-19.  4. Figures have been rounded to the nearest 10.  5. Some of the grant allocations have not been finalised. If these do change, the effect on the funding figures is expected to be minimal.

Pupils: Per Capita Costs

Michael Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what the average expenditure per pupil was in  (a) primary and  (b) secondary schools in Dacorum (i) in 1997 and (ii) the last 12 month period for which figures are available.

Vernon Coaker: Figures are not available for Dacorum borough council as data is collected at top tier local authority level. The available information on the average expenditure per pupil in  (a) primary and  (b) secondary schools in Hertfordshire local authority is shown in the following table:
	
		
			   1997-98  2007-08 
			   Pre-primary and primary education  Secondary education  Primary education  Secondary education 
			 England 1,740 2,360 3,580 4,620 
			 Hertfordshire 1,760 2,520 3,310 4,490 
			  Notes: 1. School based expenditure includes only expenditure incurred directly by the schools. This includes the pay of teachers and school-based support staff, school premises costs, books and equipment, and certain other supplies and services, less any capital items funded from recurrent spending and income from sales, fees and charges and rents and rates. This excludes the central cost of support services such as home to school transport, local authority administration and the financing of capital expenditure. 2. 1999-2000 saw a change in data source when the data collection moved from the ROI form collected by the CLG to the Section 52 form from the DCSF. 2002-03 saw a further break in the time series following the introduction of Consistent Financial Reporting (CFR) and the associated restructuring of the outturn tables. From 2002-03 school based expenditure is taken from Section 52 Outturn Table A line 51 net current expenditure (NCE). For 2001-02 and earlier years the expenditure is calculated as lines 1 to 12 less lines 29, 30, 35 and 37. This differs from the old Net Institutional Expenditure (NIE) calculation only in the treatment of meals and milk which is no longer excluded and no adjustments for balances are now made. This is taken from Section 52 Outturn Table 3 for 1999-2000 to 2001-02 and from the R01 form previously. 3. The calculation for 2002-03 onwards is broadly similar to the calculation in previous years. 4. Pupil numbers include only those pupils attending maintained establishments within each sector and are drawn from the DCSF Annual Schools Census adjusted to be on a financial year basis. 5. Spending in 1997-98 reflects the transfer of monies from local government to central government for the nursery vouchers scheme. These were returned to local government from 1998-99. 6. Expenditure was not distinguished between the pre-primary and primary sectors until the inception of Section 52 for financial year 1999-2000. 7. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10 and cash terms figures.

Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups Act 2006

Michael Jack: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what guidance his Department has issued to parents on the terms under which crches can voluntarily register with Ofsted under the provisions of the Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups Act 2006.

Dawn Primarolo: The voluntary part of the General Childcare Register was introduced in April 2007, under the provisions of the Childcare Act 2006. The Department for Children, Schools and Families has distributed 5,400 copies of a leaflet about the voluntary register to parents and childcare providers through the Family Information Services of all local authorities. Parents can also find information on the voluntary part of the General Childcare Register on the Ofsted website at:
	http://www.ofsted.gov.uk/Ofsted-home/Forms-and-guidance/Browse-all-by/Care-and-local-services/Childcare

Schools: Birmingham

Roger Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what capital funding has been allocated to schools in Birmingham, Sparkbrook and Small Heath constituency for each of the last three years.

Vernon Coaker: The Department does not maintain central records on school capital allocations on a constituency basis, as they are made on a local authority basis. School capital allocations to Birmingham for each of the last three years are shown in the following table:
	
		
			million 
			 2007-08 62.9 
			 2008-09 64.5 
			 2009-10 211.7 
		
	
	The 2009-10 allocations include 127 million in respect of the Building Schools for the Future programme, and an advance of 12.6 million brought forward from 2010-11 in support of the Government's fiscal stimulus initiative.

Schools: Crimes of Violence

Andrew Stunell: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many staff sickness days were taken in schools as a result of an assault upon a staff member in each local education authority area in the most recent year for which figures are available; how many days were lost per staff member on average as a result of such assaults in that year; and what the estimated cost of such losses was to each local education authority in that period.

Vernon Coaker: The requested information is not held centrally by the Department.
	Any violence against school staff is totally unacceptable. Our recently published behaviour strategy has at its centre strong discipline and good behaviour. It sets out how we will implement the parent and pupil guarantees announced in the schools White Paper that in their school there will be good behaviour, strong discipline, order and safety.
	In addition, we intend to introduce new requirements on schools to record incidents of bullying between pupils, and incidents of verbal and physical abuse against school staff. We will introduce the new legislation in 2010. This new requirement will encourage more widespread and effective reporting, appropriate responses and prevention work. It will also send out a clear message to school staff that the issue will be taken seriously and acted upon.

Schools: Swine Flu

Nick Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families when he expects to announce his decision on whether schools will remain closed in September as a result of swine influenza; and if he will make a statement.

Diana Johnson: The Secretary of State sent an email message to all schools on 26 August. That message stated:
	We have been closely monitoring the spread and severity of swine flu over the school holidays. The latest scientific advice to the Government is that individual school closures are now of limited benefit in stopping the spread of disease.
	Given the mildness of the virus, the expert medical advice is that there is no good reason for schools to remain closed after the summer holiday. We therefore expect all schools and early-years and childcare settings in England to reopen as planned at the beginning of the new term.

Sure Start Programme: Internet

Maria Miller: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what proportion of the Sure Start budget was spent on updating the Sure Start website in 2008-09.

Iain Wright: The Department spent 57,054 of the total 1,311,233,386 Sure Start budget on updating the Sure Start website during the 2008-09 financial year. This constitutes 0.004 per cent. of the Sure Start budget.

Young People: Unemployment

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many and what proportion of people aged 16 and 17 years were not in education, employment or training in each local authority area in each year since 2000.

Vernon Coaker: holding answer 13 July 2009
	The Department's estimate of the number of young people not in education, employment or training (NEET) cannot be disaggregated to local level. However, we can estimate the number of young people NEET using figures drawn from the client management systems maintained by Connexions services. The following table shows the number and proportion of young people aged 16 and 17 who were not in education, employment or training (NEET) in each local authority area at the end of 2005, 2006, 2007 and 2008 based on Connexions data. The first year for which local authority figures are available is 2005.
	The figures relate to 16 and 17-year-olds known to Connexions in the December of each year. They are not directly comparable with the national estimates of 16 and 17-year-olds NEET published annually by the Department for Children, Schools and Families.
	
		
			  Number and proportion of 16 and 17-year-olds not in education, employment or training 
			   December each year 
			   2005  2006  2007  2008 
			   Number  Percentage  Number  Percentage  Number  Percentage  Number  Percentage 
			  South East 
			 Bracknell Forest 150 8.6 90 5.5 80 4.8 120 7.1 
			 Reading 330 10.8 250 8.0 250 8.4 240 8.4 
			 Windsor and Maidenhead 100 4.5 90 4.3 90 3.7 100 4.5 
			 Slough 230 8.7 150 5.8 140 5.4 140 5.3 
			 West Berkshire 190 6.2 150 5.0 150 4.8 150 4.7 
			 Wokingham 140 6.1 90 4.8 120 6.1 120 6.1 
			 Kent 1,840 6.5 1,780 6.3 1,450 4.8 1,310 4.3 
			 Medway 510 8.3 420 6.9 380 6.0 540 9.1 
			 Buckinghamshire 300 3.3 250 2.8 240 2.6 310 3.4 
			 Milton Keynes 340 7.5 280 6.1 260 5.2 280 5.4 
			 Oxfordshire 500 4.5 560 5.0 470 4.2 650 5.8 
			 Portsmouth 360 14.0 290 11.2 230 9.0 220 8.7 
			 Southampton 500 12.3 430 10.7 390 10.0 380 9.9 
			 Isle of Wight 160 5.8 160 6.1 150 5.5 140 5.2 
			 Hampshire 1,320 5.2 1,420 5.5 1,270 4.9 1,380 5.3 
			 Surrey 640 3.4 610 3.4 560 3.3 610 3.1 
			 Brighton and Hove 420 10.0 430 10.9 300 7.7 300 6.4 
			 East Sussex 550 6.0 710 7.9 620 6.9 680 6.8 
			 West Sussex 660 4.6 630 4.4 550 4.2 690 5.3 
			  
			  London 
			 Camden 240 7.6 220 7.4 210 6.3 210 6.3 
			 Islington 340 9.2 320 8.4 290 8.2 280 7.2 
			 Kensington and Chelsea 100 8.6 120 8.8 80 4.9 90 5.3 
			 Lambeth 400 13.7 300 11.4 240 9.3 180 7.9 
			 Southwark 370 12.6 370 12.2 260 9.2 230 8.9 
			 Wandsworth 260 6.5 230 6.0 160 3.7 190 4.5 
			 Westminster 230 8.7 150 6.7 130 5.2 120 4.7 
			 Barking and Dagenham 420 12.6 440 11.3 390 9.2 380 9.0 
			 Bexley 280 6.0 320 7.4 270 6.4 230 5.5 
			 City of London(1)  0.9 0  
			 Greenwich 470 11.6 450 10.8 390 9.7 330 8.6 
			 Hackney 350 14.7 360 13.7 280 11.1 220 10.7 
			 Havering 400 7.4 360 6.0 320 5.5 270 4.8 
			 Lewisham 380 8.8 250 5.6 240 5.6 260 5.1 
			 Newham 490 9.8 570 11.4 400 9.0 370 7.8 
			 Redbridge 310 6.0 270 4.8 240 4.2 210 3.6 
			 Tower Hamlets(1) 380 10.1 410 11.0 230 6.5 240 7.1 
			 Barnet 320 5.6 280 4.3 250 4.2 220 3.6 
			 Enfield 480 7.9 390 6.5 370 6.9 330 6.1 
			 Haringey 370 10.1 360 12.8 250 10.2 170 5.2 
			 Waltham Forest 310 6.0 350 6.4 270 5.0 240 4.7 
			 Bromley 270 4.4 290 4.7 270 4.2 270 4.0 
			 Croydon 540 8.8 480 7.8 430 7.4 420 7.4 
			 Kingston 100 3.2 110 3.6 90 2.9 90 2.9 
			 Merton 120 7.2 120 7.3 90 6.2 100 6.5 
			 Richmond 80 4.2 90 4.3 40 2.1 70 3.6 
			 Sutton 210 4.6 190 4.4 180 4.3 150 3.7 
			 Brent 190 4.4 200 5.4 180 5.1 150 3.7 
			 Ealing 280 7.2 280 7.7 180 5.3 180 4.9 
			 Hammersmith and Fulham 260 17.2 170 9.3 100 6.4 120 6.6 
			 Harrow 210 5.3 170 4.3 80 2.0 100 2.9 
			 Hillingdon 520 8.4 360 6.4 250 4.5 220 4.1 
			 Hounslow 300 6.3 310 7.6 240 6.0 180 4.6 
			  
			  East  o f England 
			 Bedfordshire 540 6.8 500 6.4 470 6.1 410 5.1 
			 Luton 330 7.9 310 8.1 250 6.0 220 5.6 
			 Cambridgeshire 560 5.3 540 5.2 500 4.8 500 4.7 
			 Peterborough 390 9.6 340 8.2 310 7.4 320 8.1 
			 Essex 2,160 8.5 1,730 6.8 1,370 5.1 1,660 6.4 
			 Thurrock 330 9.1 270 7.5 240 6.6 210 6.6 
			 Southend 330 7.2 310 6.4 270 5.5 320 6.1 
			 Hertfordshire 1,070 4.8 950 4.2 760 3.3 1,000 4.3 
			 Norfolk 1,130 7.3 1,240 7.9 900 5.7 770 4.6 
			 Suffolk 960 7.3 1,020 7.9 830 6.4 880 6.9 
			  
			  South West 
			 Bournemouth 220 8.5 250 8.9 240 8.6 210 7.9 
			 Dorset 380 5.6 490 6.8 380 5.2 380 5.5 
			 Poole 180 6.4 180 6.1 160 5.4 140 4.9 
			 Cornwall 540 5.0 630 5.8 590 5.5 560 5.3 
			 Devon 720 5.3 830 6.0 710 5.5 800 6.1 
			 Isles of Scilly   0  
			 Plymouth 420 6.8 410 7.0 400 6.9 400 6.8 
			 Torbay 140 4.6 210 7.3 170 5.1 150 4.4 
			 Gloucestershire 670 5.5 570 4.7 470 4.0 440 3.8 
			 Somerset 510 4.9 480 4.7 390 3.9 400 4.0 
			 Bath and NE Somerset 190 5.1 150 3.9 120 3.4 130 3.7 
			 Bristol 600 9.2 530 7.1 450 6.3 520 7.1 
			 North Somerset 150 4.3 150 4.8 140 4.0 130 3.8 
			 South Gloucestershire 280 5.3 240 5.6 240 4.4 220 4.1 
			 Swindon 220 5.3 350 8.1 240 5.4 300 7.1 
			 Wiltshire 390 5.3 480 6.2 430 5.7 420 5.4 
			  
			  West Midlands 
			 Birmingham 2,550 13.2 2,240 10.2 1,630 7.2 1,870 8.6 
			 Solihull 490 8.3 410 7.7 300 5.1 290 5.7 
			 Dudley 580 8.5 560 6.5 480 5.7 410 4.8 
			 Sandwell 690 11.9 700 17.1 570 13.3 520 12.7 
			 Walsall 620 11.0 540 9.2 560 9.2 470 7.7 
			 Wolverhampton 620 11.4 590 11.1 500 9.4 420 8.3 
			 Coventry 570 8.4 550 8.0 420 6.0 360 5.3 
			 Warwickshire 630 6.0 720 6.6 620 5.6 570 5.3 
			 Herefordshire 190 5.9 170 5.2 180 5.3 190 5.6 
			 Worcestershire 590 5.7 530 5.0 440 4.1 510 4.9 
			 Shropshire 290 5.5 260 4.8 200 4.1 210 4.3 
			 Telford and Wrekin 300 8.2 330 9.1 340 9.5 310 9.0 
			 Staffordshire 1,100 6.6 1,120 6.7 870 4.9 840 4.6 
			 Stoke on Trent 760 14.3 760 14.3 620 11.9 510 10.1 
			  
			  East Midlands 
			 Derby City 460 8.5 460 8.6 400 7.4 340 6.1 
			 Derbyshire 860 6.8 870 6.7 830 6.2 830 6.3 
			 Leicester City 730 10.2 740 10.0 650 8.5 560 7.7 
			 Leicestershire 700 5.9 670 5.4 560 4.2 500 3.8 
			 Lincolnshire 800 5.8 710 5.0 580 4.1 590 4.1 
			 Rutland  0.7 10 3.0 10 1.9 10 3.0 
			 Northamptonshire 980 7.1 840 6.1 700 5.1 630 4.6 
			 Nottinghamshire 770 4.8 770 5.0 670 4.5 600 4.1 
			 Nottingham 470 8.3 540 7.8 470 6.2 410 5.2 
			  
			  Yorks  a nd  T he Humber 
			 East Riding 310 5.7 380 5.5 320 6.1 190 3.5 
			 Kingston upon Hull 820 12.8 740 13.4 670 9.8 600 8.7 
			 North East Lincolnshire 350 8.9 400 10.3 270 5.9 250 5.5 
			 North Lincolnshire 270 7.3 320 8.9 270 6.7 250 6.4 
			 Barnsley 630 14.1 530 12.1 350 7.7 380 8.3 
			 Doncaster 800 12.5 790 12.5 510 7.9 440 7.1 
			 Rotherham 630 10.3 700 10.5 600 8.9 450 6.5 
			 Sheffield 1,000 10.0 940 9.7 850 8.6 740 7.4 
			 Bradford 910 9.8 1,010 10.5 870 9.2 940 9.6 
			 Calderdale 350 8.5 330 8.3 320 7.9 290 7.4 
			 Kirklees 770 8.3 810 9.0 740 7.9 820 9.0 
			 Leeds 1,400 9.5 1,390 9.4 1,410 9.7 1,220 8.1 
			 Wakefield 790 11.5 810 11.2 730 9.7 780 10.7 
			 York 200 4.3 240 5.2 210 4.2 200 4.4 
			 North Yorkshire 500 4.4 480 4.2 440 4.0 460 4.4 
			  North West 
			 Cheshire 680 4.6 780 5.3 620 4.2 720 4.9 
			 Warrington 240 6.2 270 6.7 200 4.9 250 6.2 
			 Cumbria 550 5.4 500 4.8 450 4.3 410 3.9 
			 Bolton 670 10.4 740 13.8 630 11.7 500 9.7 
			 Bury 310 7.2 350 8.4 310 5.7 340 6.1 
			 City of Manchester 1,070 11.3 1,040 11.4 840 8.8 890 9.4 
			 Oldham 410 6.9 450 8.7 400 7.2 350 6.2 
			 Rochdale 380 7.9 450 13.2 390 10.4 430 10.7 
			 City of Salford 460 10.1 520 11.9 390 7.1 420 7.7 
			 Stockport 370 6.4 480 8.4 480 6.6 420 5.9 
			 Trafford 290 6.0 290 7.2 270 6.0 280 6.1 
			 Tameside 460 8.6 450 9.6 420 8.7 410 8.4 
			 Wigan 680 9.8 720 10.3 570 7.7 620 8.3 
			 Halton 260 9.4 290 10.7 270 10.1 280 11.2 
			 Knowsley 300 8.9 380 12.8 360 13.1 350 13.4 
			 Liverpool 1,070 10.4 1,130 12.1 990 10.0 820 8.7 
			 Sefton 470 7.2 440 6.1 400 5.8 440 6.6 
			 St. Helens 380 10.3 380 8.8 320 7.1 320 7.3 
			 Wirral 620 8.1 660 8.9 630 8.5 560 7.8 
			 Blackburn-Darwen 320 8.9 340 6.2 290 6.3 250 5.7 
			 Blackpool 340 10.4 370 8.2 340 7.1 310 6.7 
			 Lancashire 1,560 6.6 1,680 7.7 1,640 7.1 1,370 6.0 
			  
			  North East 
			 County Durham 1,160 12.2 1,150 11.9 930 9.2 940 9.4 
			 Northumberland 470 8.0 530 9.0 450 7.5 350 5.9 
			 Darlington 220 8.7 190 6.0 180 5.5 190 5.8 
			 Stockton on Tees 400 8.9 330 9.0 300 7.8 310 8.3 
			 Middlesbrough 460 14.2 430 11.5 320 8.2 350 8.5 
			 Hartlepool 180 8.3 230 10.6 140 6.3 130 5.5 
			 Redcar and Cleveland 310 9.1 330 10.4 320 10.3 290 9.7 
			 Sunderland 770 12.4 740 12.2 660 10.9 700 11.4 
			 Gateshead 460 12.2 400 10.9 370 9.7 320 8.0 
			 Newcastle 700 10.1 660 9.1 660 8.5 560 7.1 
			 North Tyneside 430 11.2 390 10.5 310 8.2 300 8.1 
			 South Tyneside 370 12.6 300 10.3 260 9.2 260 10.1 
			 (1) Figures for City of London are included with those for Tower Hamlets in 2005 and 2006.  Source: Connexions service database

Departmental Buildings

Justine Greening: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many properties owned by his Department were liable for payment of  (a) business rates and  (b) empty property rates in each of the last five years; and what the cost to the public purse was in each such year.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: Information on the number of properties owned by the Department that attracted business rates and the cost in each year since 2005-06 is shown in the following table. There has been no spending by the Department on empty property rates since 2005-06.
	
		
			   Number of properties  Cost of business rates () 
			 2005-06 2 1,666,000 
			 2006-07 1 1,684,000 
			 2007-08 1 1,726,000 
			 2008-09 1 1,796,000 
			 2009-10 1 1,699,000

Departmental Electronic Equipment

Philip Hammond: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer with reference to the answer of 26 November 2008,  Official Report, columns 1889-90W, how much  (a) his Department,  (b) its agencies and  (c) HM Revenue and Customs has spent on (i) flat screen televisions, (ii) DVD players and (iii) stereo equipment since December 2008.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: The information requested is set out in the following table.
	
		
			  000 
			  Organisation  Flat screen televisions  DVD players  Stereo equipment 
			 HM Treasury(1) n/a n/a n/a 
			 DMO 4 0 0 
			 OGC 0 0 0 
			 Buying solutions 0 0 0 
			 HMRC(2) 0 1 0 
			 (1) Information in relation to the Treasury is not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost. (2) HMRC figures may exclude flat screen televisions bought as part of a package e.g. video conferencing or closed circuit television equipment. It is not possible to identity the cost of the television element of such packages.

Departmental Manpower

Justine Greening: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate has been made of the average length of employment of staff in the Department at each Civil Service payband.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: HM Treasury's staffing and recruitment practices make provision for permanent employees to manage their careers in an active manner, as well as opportunities for people across the labour market, from both the public and private sectors, to work in the Department on short-term loans and secondments as part of their wider careers. The following table, which sets out the average number of years spent at each payband, is based on the median average number of years employed in the Treasury. It reflects the balance the Department strikes between developing staff, promotion on merit, and developing a balanced and flexible workforce with a variety of skills to meet the Department's objectives.
	
		
			  HM Treasury pay range  Civil service payband  Average number of years( 1) 
			 Range B AA/AO 1.7 
			 Range C EO 5.3 
			 Range D HEO/SEO 1.4 
			 Range E Grade 7/Grade 6 3.5 
			 Senior Civil Service Senior Civil Service 8.6 
			 (1) Median average number of years employed at HM Treasury, as at September 2009.

Departmental Manpower

John Mann: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many staff there were in his Department  (a) in 1997 and  (b) on the latest date for which figures are available.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: The information requested is set out in the Treasury's annual reports for the years concerned. Those are in the Library and can be accessed via:
	 1997
	http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/d/106.pdf
	 2009
	http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/d/annual_report_2009_full.pdf

Departmental Marketing

Philip Hammond: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer with reference to the answer of 24 November 2008,  Official Report, column 947W, on departmental marketing, what the cost of branding activity was for  (a) his Department,  (b) its agencies and  (c) HM Revenue and Customs in 2008-09.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: In 2008-09, the following was spent on branding activity:
	
		
			
			 HMT 3,344 
			 Agencies 164,160 
			 HMRC 191,325

Departmental Public Expenditure

Justine Greening: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much his Department spent on  (a) car hire,  (b) air travel,  (c) hotels and  (d) restaurant meals for (i) Ministers and (ii) staff in his Department in each of the last five years.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: Details of spending on travel and subsistence since 2003-04 is shown in the Treasury's Annual Report and Accounts (HC 611). A breakdown of those figures into the categories requested could not be achieved within the disproportionate costs threshold.
	All travel undertaken by Ministers and civil servants is in accordance with the Ministerial Code and the Civil Service Management Code respectively. All spending on official entertainment is made in accordance with the principles set out in Managing Public Money.
	The Government published a list of all overseas travel by Ministers costing over 500 on 16 July and this can be viewed at:
	http://www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/propriety_and_ethics/ministers/travel_gifts.aspx

Departmental Recruitment

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what data his Department holds on the level of diversity in its recruitment of employees in each of the last three years.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: The Treasury publishes diversity data on recruitment on its website at:
	www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/about_equality.htm
	The diversity data available covers the years 2006, 2007 and 2008-09. Further information on diversity and recruitment is available in the Treasury's equality schemes (Race, Disability and Gender) also available on the website.

Departmental Waste

Stewart Hosie: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what proportion of his Department's waste was recycled in the latest period for which figures are available.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: HM Treasury is committed to making operations as sustainable as possible. Detailed information containing latest figures is contained in HM Treasury Annual Report and Accounts 2008-09 (HC 611).

Financial Institutions: Climate Change

Peter Ainsworth: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what discussions he has had with representatives from each of the financial institutions which are partly or wholly owned by the Government on the Government's objective to encourage investment in low-carbon technologies; and if he will make a statement.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: Treasury Ministers and officials have meetings with a wide variety of organisations in the public and private sectors as part of the process of policy development and delivery. As was the case with previous Administrations, it is not the Government's practice to provide details of all such meetings.

Glasgow

John Mason: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he plans to visit Glasgow on official business during the summer adjournment.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: Treasury Ministers' official duties entail visits throughout the United Kingdom.

Global Economy

Dai Davies: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will place in the Library a copy of  (a) the papers submitted by the United Kingdom,  (b) the papers submitted by other G20 parties and  (c) the speeches made by participants in respect of the G20 meeting on reform of the global economy in Pittsburgh on 24 and 25 September 2009.

Stephen Timms: At the London summit, leaders asked the Prime Minister as Chair to report on the adaptability and responsiveness of the international financial institutions. His report, titled 'Supporting Global Growth', was welcomed by leaders at the Pittsburgh summit and is available at:
	http://www.pittsburghsummit.gov/resources/
	Other contributions presented to the Pittsburgh summit are available at the same address. The IMF's contributions are available at:
	www.imf.org
	G20 leaders meet in closed session and thus specific interventions by leaders at the summit are not publicly available. However, the Leaders' Statement is available at:
	http://www.pittsburghsummit.gov/mediacenter/129639.htm
	Copies of the Prime Minister's report and these web pages have been placed in the Library of the House.

Keydata Investment Services

Barry Sheerman: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the number of UK residents affected by the entry into administration of Key Data Investment Services (KIS); and what assessment he has made of the financial consequences of the Financial Services Authority's decision to require KIS to enter administration.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: On 8 June 2009, as a result of the application by the FSA on the grounds that Keydata was insolvent, the Court placed Keydata into administration.
	PricewaterhouseCoopers ('PwC') were appointed as administrators for KIS and the administration process is still ongoing. A dedicated website and telephone number have been made available for investors and other interested parties.
	The FSA is now working closely with PwC and the Financial Services Compensation Scheme as well as with other interested parties, including the Serious Fraud Office and overseas regulatory authorities. In addition HMRC is working with the administrators to establish what the tax implications of this are to ISA investors in light of all the relevant information. HMRC will soon be advising individuals as to the tax implications of their non-qualifying Keydata investments.
	PwC and the FSA will keep the public updated.

Performance Standards

Graham Brady: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what consideration his Department has given to the potential role of the private sector in meeting the public sector efficiency targets published in the Financial Statement and Budget Report 2009; and if he will make a statement.

Liam Byrne: Budget 2009 published a departmental breakdown of the Government's 35 billion VFM target, and the 2009 VFM Update published further detail on some of the reforms Departments will take forward to achieve their targets. Departments may use the private sector to help deliver their targets; these decisions are a matter for individual Departments to make based on their own value for money assessment.

Stamp Duties

Bob Neill: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will direct the National Housing and Planning Advisory Unit to assess the level of public support for abolishing stamp duty for first time buyers on properties sold for up to 250,000.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: Stamp duty rates and thresholds are kept under review as part of the Budget process.

Tax Allowances: Empty Property

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what representations he has received on empty property rate relief since April 2009.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: Treasury Ministers and officials receive representations from a wide range of organisations and individuals in the public and private sectors as part of the process of policy development and delivery. As was the case with previous Administrations, it is not the Government's practice to provide details of such representations.

Tax Credit

Michael Penning: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  how many people in Hemel Hempstead constituency claimed working tax credit in the latest period for which figures are available;
	(2)  how many people in Hemel Hempstead constituency claimed child tax credit in the latest period for which figures are available.

Stephen Timms: The latest information on the number of recipient families of child and working tax credits, by parliamentary constituency, is given in the HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) snapshot publication, Child and Working Tax Credits Statistics Geographical Analyses April 2009.
	This publication is available at:
	http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/stats/personal-tax-credits/cwtc-geog-stats.htm
	HMRC do not produce these statistics separately for child tax credit and working tax credit.

Taxation: Holiday Accommodation

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport on the reclassification of income from holiday lets as unearned income.

Stephen Timms: Income from furnished holiday lettings will not be reclassified. It will continue to be assessed as property income, but after the repeal of the furnished holiday lettings rules it will no longer be treated as trade income for certain tax purposes.
	Treasury Ministers and officials have meetings with a wide variety of organisations in the public and private sectors as part of the process of policy development and delivery. As was the case with previous Administrations, it is not the Government's practice to provide details of all such meetings.

Valuation: Appeals

Bob Neill: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what rights of appeal  (a) council taxpayers and  (b) business ratepayers have in relation to decisions of the Valuation Office Agency.

Stephen Timms: Council tax and business ratepayers have the following rights of appeal against decisions made by the Valuation Office Agency's (VOA) listing and valuation officers:
	In the first instance, a 'proposal' may be made to alter the valuation band or rateable value of their property. Further information on how to do this can be found on the VOA's website at:
	 For council tax:
	http://www.voa.gov.uk/council_tax/can_i_appeal.htm
	 and on the Scottish Assessors' website at:
	http://www.saa.gov.uk/proposals.html
	 For business rates:
	http://www.voa.gov.uk/business_rates/2005AppealsFAQs.htm
	If a taxpayer is not satisfied with the outcome of their proposal, they may subsequently appeal to an independent valuation tribunal. Further details on how to do this can be found at:
	 For council tax:
	http://www.valuationtribunal.gov.uk/Council_Tax.aspx
	 For business rates:
	http://www.valuationtribunal.gov.uk/Rating.aspx
	If a council taxpayer disagrees with the decision of the valuation tribunal, they may appeal to the High Court on a point of law. Further information is available at:
	http://www.valuationtribunal.gov.uk/Attending_A_Hearing/Your_questions_answered.aspx
	If a business ratepayer disagrees with the decision of the valuation tribunal, they may appeal to the Lands Tribunal, further information can be found at:
	http://www.landstribunal.gov.uk/index.htm
	and
	http://www.landstribunal.gov.uk/Documents/ExplanatoryLeafletJune09.pdf
	which also sets out the subsequent right of appeal to the Court of Appeal on a point of law.
	Council tax or business ratepayers may also be able to seek a Judicial Review, by the Administrative Court, on decisions made by VOA officers. Further information is available at:
	http://www.hmcourts-service.gov.uk/cms/1220.htm

VAT: Housing

Grant Shapps: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  how many claims for VAT refunds for self-build housebuilders have been received in relation to  (a) new homes and  (b) conversions in each year since 1997; and how many claims were accepted in each such year;
	(2)  what the total monetary value of VAT refunds for self-build housebuilders has been in relation to  (a) new homes and  (b) conversions in each year since 1997; and what the total monetary value of accepted claims was in each such year.

Stephen Timms: Until 2003, VAT refund claims from 'do it yourself' (DIY) house builders were handled in local VAT offices, with no central record being kept. In 2003, HM Customs and Excise (as it then was) began transferring claims to a central unit for processing. Processing of DIY claims was not fully transferred from local offices to the central unit until April 2004. That unit maintains statistics for all claims handled, which are provided as follows:
	
		
			  DIY claims by number 
			   New homes  Conversions  Total received  Total accepted and paid 
			 2004 8,665 1,254 9,919 9,396 
			 2005 10,000 1,474 11,474 10,835 
			 2006 9,807 1,291 11,098 10,362 
			 2007 9,763 1,106 10,869 10,170 
			 2008 10,218 1,115 11,333 10,477 
			 2009 7,310 1,076 8,386 6,130 
		
	
	
		
			  DIY claims by monetary value 
			   
			   New homes  Conversions  Total received  Total accepted and paid 
			 2004 58,259,072.85 12,585,831.27 70,844,904.12 60,542,311.76 
			 2005 70,639,058.90 16,617,743.21 87,256,802.11 74,438,595.28 
			 2006 74,540,836.64 14,330,105.80 88,870,942.44 73,901,579.76 
			 2007 86,100,693.64 13,446,336.83 99,547,030.47 84,454,747.06 
			 2008 96,492,046.55 13,993,784.52 110,485,831.07 89,002,942.31 
			 2009 68,560,147.20 14,475,558.17 83,035,705.37 54,378,504.99 
		
	
	The figures for 2009 cover the part year to 6 October.

Wealth

Michael Meacher: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what proportion of total  (a) income and  (b) wealth was held by the top (i) 10, (ii) five, (iii) one, (iv) 0.1 and (v) 0.01 per cent. of the population with the percentage of each in the latest period for which figures are available; how many people were in each such group; and what the average (A) income and (B) wealth of persons in each group was.

Stephen Timms: The proportion of total income accounted for by the top 10, 5 and 1 per cent. of UK taxpayers by income can be found in table 2.4 'Share of total income (before and after tax) and income tax for percentile groups', available at:
	http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/stats/income_tax/table2-4.pdf
	Information on the top 0.1 and 0.01 per cent. of UK taxpayers is not readily available.
	The number and average income of taxpayers in each group can be determined from the above together with table 2.5 'Income Tax liabilities, by income range', with reference to the total number of taxpayers and their income stated on this table. This is available at:
	http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/stats/income_tax/menu.htm
	Estimates for the proportion of wealth held by the top 10, 5 and 1 per cent. of the UK adult population are available up to year 2003 and are published in table 13.5 'Personal Wealthdistribution among the adult population of marketable wealth' at:
	http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/stats/personal_wealth/menu.htm
	Information on the proportion of wealth held by the top 0.1 and 0.01 per cent. of UK taxpayers is not available.
	The number of UK adults in 2003 was 46 million, from which figure the numbers in the top 10, 5 and 1 per cent. of the population can be calculated.
	The average wealth of persons in each group can be calculated by:
	Calculating the wealth per group using the proportions in table 13.5 referred to above and the estimate of total marketable wealth published in table 13.4, available at
	http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/stats/personal_wealth/table13_5.pdf
	and
	Dividing by the number of people in each group.

Working Tax Credit

Maria Miller: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much his Department spent on the childcare element of the working tax credit in each quarter of the last five years for which figures are available.

Stephen Timms: Table 2.4 of the HMRC publications Child and Working Tax Credits Statistics Finalised Awards for the years 2003-04 to 2007-08, provides information on the estimated expenditure on the child care element. This is shown in the following table.
	The same table contains estimates of the average help with child care costs these families received in each relevant year. This information is not available on a quarterly basis.
	
		
			   Child care element expenditure ( million)  Average help with child care costs per week () 
			 2003-04 613 43.58 
			 2004-05 706 44.29 
			 2005-06 858 48.45 
			 2006-07 1,179 58.97 
			 2007-08 1,364 63.17

Arts

Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what discussions he had with regional Ministers before abolishing  (a) the regional structure of the Arts Council and  (b) the regional offices of the Libraries, Museums and Archives Service.

Margaret Hodge: Decisions on the regional structure of the Arts Council England (ACE) and the Museums, Libraries and Archives Council's (MLA) are primarily operational matters for the bodies in question. The Secretary of State has not specifically discussed these matters with regional Ministers.

Departmental Marketing

Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport with reference to the answer of 24 November 2008,  Official Report, column 1069W, on departmental marketing, how many staff in his Department are responsible for branding activity; and what the cost of employing such staff was in 2008-09.

Gerry Sutcliffe: Brand activity is spread across the Department's corporate communications team. The estimated time spent on brand activity was 1.0 full-time equivalent. The staff cost was 45,432.50.

Departmental Pay

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport pursuant to the answer of 11 May 2009,  Official Report, column 496W, on departmental pay, who the employers are who are paying less than 7.45 an hour for work contracted out by his Department; what the nature of the work undertaken on each contract is; how many staff at each  (a) payband and  (b) location are working on each such contract; what the duration of each contract is; and what union recognition agreements are in place with each contractor.

Ben Bradshaw: holding answer 9 July 2009
	All work contracted out by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, is undertaken at its central offices in London.
	
		
			  Supplier  Nature of work  Payband  Number of staff  Duration of contract  Union recognition 
			 Baxter Storey Ltd. Front of house and catering Supervisors7.06 per hour 4 30 September 2009 Employees are not associated with any trade union 
			   Commis Chefs6.50 per hour
			   Hospitality hosts6.68 per hour
			   Kitchen assistants6.00 per hour
			   
			 MITIE Facilities Management Cleaning Day janitors7.39 per hour 10 30 September 2009 MITIE recognises any official union their employees choose to join 
			   Out of hours supervisors7.00 per hour
			   Out of hours cleaners6.09 per hour

Monuments: Preservation

Shona McIsaac: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what funds his Department makes available for preservation of war memorials.

Margaret Hodge: The Memorials Grant Scheme is administered by DCMS and operates UK-wide. It gives grants equivalent to the VAT incurred by charities and faith groups to establish or repair public memorial structures. It is not possible to say how much funding has been disbursed specifically to support War Memorials, but the scheme has given grants worth almost 1.5 million in England since 2005, of which over 1.1 million has helped to establish the Armed Forces Memorial.
	English Heritage is the Government-sponsored body responsible for protecting and promoting England's spectacular historic environment and ensuring that its past is researched and understood. Accordingly, English Heritage and the Wolfson Foundation, in association with the War Memorials Trust, provide further grants for the repair and conservation of free-standing war memorials in England.

Olympic Games 2012: Developing Countries

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much has been spent on the International Inspiration programme to date; and where that money has been spent.

Tessa Jowell: holding answer 20 July 2009
	I have been asked to reply 
	as Minister for the Olympics.
	The International Inspiration programme is operating in Azerbaijan, Brazil, India, Palau, Zambia, Bangladesh, Mozambique, Jordan and Trinidad and Tobago and South Africa, with scoping visits having taken place in Ghana, Nigeria and Malaysia.
	The total expenditure since the start of the programme in October 2007 until March 2009 has been 7,681,541.

Sports: Young People

Shailesh Vara: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what steps he is taking to increase participation rates in sport among young people in  (a) North West Cambridgeshire constituency,  (b) Cambridgeshire,  (c) Peterborough,  (d) the East of England and  (e) England; and if he will make a statement.

Gerry Sutcliffe: We are not able to break down all investment in sport for young people to a local level. However, from 2008 to 2011 the Government are investing 783 million through the PE and Sport Strategy for Young People (PESSYP), building on the achievements of the previous national strategy and 1.5 billion invested between 2003-08.
	We have expanded our ambition for PE and sport. As part of our Olympic Legacy promises, we want to create a world-class system for PE and sport in England and ensure every child has access to five hours of PE and sport per week, with three hours for 16 to 19-year-olds.
	The Sport Unlimited programme (being delivered through the County Sport Partnership network) will target 900,000 semi-sporty young people by 2011 and provide a greater range of attractive and sustainable activities based on what young people want. It aims to reach 9,570 young people in Cambridgeshire and Peterborough and 101,789 young people in the East of England.
	In addition Sport England has a target of getting 1 million people doing more sport by 2012-13, which includes those aged 16 to 25. National governing bodies of sport (NGBs) are placed at the heart of Sport England's strategy as it is their networks of community clubs, coaches, officials and volunteers that will drive delivery. NGBs have just been awarded 480 million over the next four years to deliver their plans to grow and sustain participation and nurture those with sporting talent.

Sports: Young People

Michael Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what steps he is taking to increase participation rates in sport among young people in  (a) Hemel Hempstead constituency,  (b) Dacorum,  (c) Hertfordshire,  (d) the South East of England and  (e) England; and if he will make a statement.

Gerry Sutcliffe: We are not able to break down all investment in sport for young people to a local level. However, from 2008 to 2011 the Government are investing 783 million through the PE and Sport Strategy for Young People (PESSYP), building on the achievements of the previous national strategy and 1.5 billion invested between 2003-08.
	We have expanded our ambition for PE and sport. As part of our Olympic Legacy promises, we want to create a world-class system for PE and sport in England and ensure every child has access to five hours of PE and sport per week, with three hours for 16 to 19-year-olds.
	The Sport Unlimited programme (being delivered through the County Sport Partnership network) will target 900,000 semi-sporty young people by 2011 and provide a greater range of attractive and sustainable activities based on what young people want. It aims to reach 22,968 young people in Hertfordshire and 129,105 young people in the South East.
	In addition Sport England has a target of getting 1 million people doing more sport by 2012-13, which includes those aged 16 to 25. National governing bodies of sport (NGBs) are placed at the heart of Sport England's strategy as it is their networks of community clubs, coaches, officials and volunteers that will drive delivery. NGBs have just been awarded 480 million over the next four years to deliver their plans to grow and sustain participation and nurture those with sporting talent.

Swimming: Finance

Hugo Swire: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much funding his Department plans to allocate to local authorities for the free swimming programme in each of the next five years.

Gerry Sutcliffe: 140 million has been allocated to local authorities to support the Free Swimming Programme over the next two years; discussions will take place to decide funding of the Free Swimming Programme beyond 2011.

Television: Licensing

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much the report Digital Britain: Attitudes to supporting non-BBC regional news from the TV licence fee cost to produce; and how much was paid to TNS-BMRB to carry out the polling in the report.

Ben Bradshaw: The report Digital Britain: Attitudes to supporting non-BBC regional news from the TV licence fee was produced by TNS-BMRB to reflect and analyse the results of the polling contained within the reportthis was one single piece of work for which they received one single commissioning and one single payment.
	Following competitive tendering, TNS-BMRB were awarded the contract worth 61,340 excluding VAT, which included reporting.

Air Pollution: Monitoring

Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much his Department spent on monitoring air pollution in the latest year for which figures are available.

Jim Fitzpatrick: In the financial year 1 April 2008 to 31 March 2009, DEFRA spent 6,087,839 on monitoring air pollution, spread across 15 separate outsourced contracts. This addressed both the levels of pollutants in the air and their deposition either in the dry form or in rain. Breaking this figure down further:
	4,767,407 was spent on monitoring with the primary purpose of meeting the mandatory requirements of European legislation;
	an additional 882,854 was spent on monitoring with the primary purpose of meeting other international obligations, either at EU or United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) level; and
	437,578 was spent on monitoring to provide additional information necessary to the development of air pollution policy in the UK.

Animal Welfare

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether his Department has issued guidance on dogs left in cars and temperature.

Jim Fitzpatrick: Yes. DEFRA has published a leaflet; 'Protecting the welfare of pet dogs and cats during journeys', which includes guidance in respect of dogs overheating.

Animal Welfare Act 2006

Daniel Rogerson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when he plans to publish codes of practice on the welfare of  (a) dogs and  (b) cats under the Animal Welfare Act 2006.

Jim Fitzpatrick: At the end of last year, we completed a public consultation exercise on three draft codesfor the keeping of cats, dogs and equines. We are now considering the many responses we had to the consultation on each draft code and will then ask Parliament to approve the revised codes. Assuming parliament approve the codes, they will come into force on 6 April 2010.

Animal Welfare: Finance

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much his Department has spent on animal welfare-related initiatives in the last 12 months.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The administrative costs of the Animal Welfare Team in DEFRA were 1,153,087 for the 12 months from September 2008 to August 2009. During the same period, 767,151 was spent on animal welfare initiatives and delivery work. In addition, 2,963,372 was spent on animal welfare research and development in the 12 months from April 2008 to March 2009.

Bees

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps his Department takes to protect the honey bee population; what recent assessment he has made of the level of threat to the health of them; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Fitzpatrick: DEFRA's bee health programme, undertaken by the Food and Environment Research Agency's (Fera) National Bee Unit, provides an advisory and inspection service as well as a substantial training and education programme, free of charge to all beekeepers.
	In recognition of the increasing threats to honey bees, the 'Healthy Bees' plan was launched on 9 March and is aimed at sustaining honey bee health and beekeeping in England and Wales over the next decade. A key part of this is working more closely with a wide range of bee stakeholders on practical actions and priorities. Additional funding of 2.3 million has been allocated to Fera during 2009-2011 to put more inspectors out in the field and collect more information on the degree of threat to the health of honey bee colonies. An enhanced education programme will drive up beekeeping skills, particularly husbandry standards and disease awareness. Our improved understanding of the national position will feed into a more effective and focused disease control and surveillance programme.
	DEFRA also commissions research on bee health and, in addition to funding an ongoing investigative programme at Fera, is contributing 2.5million to the insect pollinator initiative and has recently invited proposals for three additional projects on honey bees to be undertaken between November 2009 and March 2010.

Delivery Unit

Greg Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what stocktake meetings his Department has had with the Prime Minister's Delivery Unit in the last 12 months.

Dan Norris: The PMDU is in constant contact with Departments as part of its process of taking stock of delivery. It reports regularly to the PM, the Treasury and the Departments concerned.

Departmental Advertising

Pete Wishart: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much his Department spent on newspaper advertising carried in each newspaper in the most recent year for which figures are available.

Dan Norris: Please find as follows a table which indicates newspaper advertising carried in each newspaper for 2008.
	
		
			  Title/Display  1 January 2008  to  31 December 2008  t otal () 
			  Birmingham Evening Mail 1,400 
			  Daily Mail 151,787 
			  Daily Star 35,475 
			  Daily Telegraph 59,856 
			  Daily mirror 88,578 
			  Daily Express 51,880 
			  Guardian Weekend 3,600 
			  Guardian 25,100 
			  Independent 12,599 
			  Independent on Sunday 1,900 
			  Mail on SundayLive Magazine 52,750 
			  Mail on Sunday 169,318 
			  News of  t he World 102,443 
			  Observer 6,200 
			  Observer Magazine 3,500 
			  Telegraph  Sat Magazine 7,000 
			  Sunday Telegraph7 Magazine 4,000 
			  Sunday Mirror 64,206 
			  Sunday Times Magazine 35,875 
			  Sunday Times Review 51,500 
			  Sunday Telegraph 23,310 
			  Sun 184,231 
			  Star Sunday 1,900 
			  Sunday Express 29,722 
			  Sunday Times 63,936 
			  Times 85,897 
		
	
	Please find as follows costs for statutory and recruitment advertising. As a number of DEFRA's recruitment adverts are placed through the Cabinet Office framework as part of a whole advertising campaign (campaigns can include the preparation of application packs, advertisements, sifting and assessments) it is not possible to split out the advertising element at a proportionate cost.
	
		
			  Classified/Recruitment   
			 National Press 3,091 
			 Regional Press 1,986 
			 Public Notices 27,523

Departmental Databases

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what databases are  (a) owned and  (b) maintained by his Department.

Dan Norris: DEFRA own and maintains a wide range of databases reflecting its diverse policy and regulatory functions. A full list could be provided only at disproportionate cost to the Department.
	However, DEFRA's information asset register does provide details of many of the databases managed by the Department. This register is available on the Department's website at:
	http://www.defra.gov.uk/corporate/opengov/defra/available/iar/index.htm

Departmental Dismissal

Justine Greening: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many members of staff have  (a) been dismissed and ( b) had their contract terminated by his Department in each of the last five years; what the reason was in each case; and what the severance costs in relation to (i) dismissal and (ii) contract termination were in each such year.

Dan Norris: The following table details the number of employees dismissed from DEFRA and its executive agencies in each of the last five years together with the reasons and associated costs where appropriate:
	
		
			  Financial year  Performance  Attendance  Misconduct  Costs () 
			 2005-06 6 8 12 117,471.59 
			 2006-07 10 (1,2) 9 32,407.90 
			 2007-08 12 12 9 24,371.99 
			 2008-09 6 6 8 120,841.28 
			 2009-10 (1) (1) (1) (1) 
			 (1) Withheld on confidentiality grounds  Notes: 1. The data are for DEFRA's executive agencies but not non departmental public bodies as sourcing this information can be supplied only at disproportionate cost. 2. Because of the small number of dismissals in these years, we cannot give figures because of the possibility of identifying individuals. 
		
	
	These dismissals were the result of staff undergoing procedures for unsatisfactory performance (including probation), unsatisfactory attendance and misconduct.
	The Civil Service Management Code sets out the requirements for Departments to have procedures in place to deal with discipline, attendance and performance issues. All dismissals are conducted in line with DEFRA's misconduct, attendance and performance policies and procedures, which are available to staff via DEFRA's intranet.
	The following table details the number of employees who have had their contract terminated as a result of redundancy in each of the last five years together with associated severance costs where appropriate:
	
		
			  Financial year  Number of redundancies  Costs () 
			 2005-06 0 0 
			 2006-07 22 400,000.00 
			 2007-08 13 769,420.00 
			 2008-09 8 200,000.00 
			 2009-10 (1) (1) 
			  Notes: 1. The data are for DEFRA's executive agencies but not non departmental public bodies as sourcing this information can be provided only at disproportionate cost threshold. 2. Because of the small number of redundancies in this year, we cannot give figures because of the possibility of identifying individuals.

Departmental Location

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many of his Department's staff have their main place of work  (a) in and  (b) outside London.

Dan Norris: The following table shows the number of staff in DEFRA and its agencies that work in London offices and the number that work outside London. The figures are staff in post (headcount) as at 31 August 2009.
	
		
			  Department/agency  London-based  Outside London  Total 
			 DEFRA 1,906 584 2,490 
			 Animal Health 26 1,682 1,708 
			 Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science 3 561 564 
			 Food and Environment Research Agency 15 904 919 
			 Marine and Fisheries Agency 99 102 201 
			 Rural Payments Agency 0 3,326 3,326 
			 Veterinary Laboratories Agency 0 1,331 1,331 
			 Veterinary Medicines Directorate 0 153 153 
			 Total 2,049 8,643 10,692

Departmental Manpower

Justine Greening: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent estimate he has made of the average length of employment of staff of his Department at each Civil Service payband.

Dan Norris: The average (median) length of service in years for staff in each grade in DEFRA and its agencies as at 31 March 2009 is shown in the following table.
	
		
			  Grade  DEFRA  AH  CEFAS  CSL  GDS  MFA  RPA  VLA  VMD 
			 AA 7.8 4.0 1.3 3.9 n/a 6.4 15.2 6.3 8.4 
			 AO 7.8 6.9 4.9 6.0 2.3 7.8 6.8 7.4 6.6 
			 EO 7.1 9.8 7.8 9.7 (1) 4.4 11.8 11.0 7.8 
			 HEO 6.6 7.8 8.6 12.5 2.9 8.5 15.9 10.0 11.9 
			 SEO 7.7 7.8 9.3 13.3 3.1 21.0 18.2 9.6 10.8 
			 Grade 7 6.7 8.4 11.6 17.5 (1) 7.2 17.6 19.1 8.2 
			 Grade 6 6.9 15.6 23.2 24.7 (1) (1) 14.9 19.2 12.4 
			 SCS 7.8 6.8 (1) (1) (1) (1) 6.6 24.6 (1) 
			 (1) Where there are fewer than five staff in the grade, the information is withheld for confidentiality reasons.

Departmental Marketing

Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs with reference to the answer of 25 November 2008,  Official Report, column 1171W, on departmental marketing, how many staff in his Department are responsible for branding activity; and what the cost of employing such staff was in 2008-09.

Dan Norris: One person in my Department is involved in branding activity on a regular basis dealing with questions from customers and stakeholders on use of the brand and the provision of logos and other collateral. This is not a full-time role. It occupies around 20 per cent. of the individual's time. The cost in 2008-09 is estimated to have been 10,700.

Departmental Pay

Justine Greening: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what employee reward schemes are offered to staff of his Department; what the purpose of each scheme is; how many staff participate in each scheme; and what the cost of operating each scheme was in each of the last five years.

Dan Norris: In addition to base pay, DEFRA operates a number of performance related pay schemes which are available to all staff in the Department.
	 For the Senior Civil Service (SCS)
	Non-consolidated performance related variable pay rewards in-year performances in relation to agreed objectives, or short term personal contribution to wider organisational objectives. Such payments are paid in addition to base pay increases and do not count towards pension.
	Performance related variable pay is allocated by Departments from a 'pot' expressed as a percentage of the SCS salary bill, which is agreed centrally each year following the Senior Salaries Review Body recommendations. The intention is that such payments should be differentiated in order to recognise those who have performed most significantly during the year.
	The following table shows the number and total amount of performance payments awarded to SCS in core-DEFRA and its Executive Agencies in each of the last four years. Due to systems changes, data prior to 2005-06 is available only at disproportionate cost.
	
		
			   
			   Number of payments  Total value 
			 2005-06 143 722,000 
			 2006-07 137 1,033,500 
			 2007-08 135 1,269,056 
			 2008-09 133 1,286,625 
		
	
	 For staff at Grade 6 and below
	The performance related variable pay scheme provides staff in DEFRA and those agencies covered by the core-Department's reward arrangements, with recognition and reward for delivery of an outstanding outcome or performance that significantly exceeds normal expectations. The process provides staff at all grades with an opportunity to earn such an award, and ensure that achievements in operational, policy and corporate services areas are recognised as being of equal esteem. Such payments are paid in addition to base pay increases and do not count toward pension.
	There are two types of award:
	In-year performance payments, up to a maximum of 750, paid to individuals or teams in recognition of one-off achievements during the year; and
	Annual performance payments that, in 2007 and 2008, were paid to the top 10 per cent. of performers for delivery of an outstanding outcome or performance sustained throughout the whole year.
	The following table shows the number and total amount of annual and in-year performance payments awarded to staff in core-DEFRA (including staff who transferred to DECC in October 2008) and those Executive Agencies covered by DEFRA terms and conditions at that time. Due to systems changes, data prior to 2005-06 is available only at disproportionate cost.
	
		
			In-year payments  Annual payments 
			 2005-06 Total value () 789,814 1,815,183 
			  Number of payments 2,234 1,959 
			 
			 2006-07 Total value () 744,758 1,401,884 
			  Number of payments 1,844 576 
			 2007-08 Total value () 593,603 1,345,361 
			  Number of payments 1,403 524 
			 
			 2008-09 Total value () 615,388 1,127,515 
			  Number of payments 1,439 489 
		
	
	Performance related pay schemes encourage high attainment because payments have to be earned each year. They help drive high performance in Departments and agencies and support better public service delivery.
	Details of the number and total amounts of payments made under the reward schemes in DEFRA's Executive Agencies not covered by DEFRA's terms and conditions are provided as follows.
	 Rural Payments Agency
	The Rural Payments Agency (RPA) operates an Annual Appraisal 'Exceeded' performance payment scheme and Special Recognition Scheme, similar to DEFRA's in-year performance payments.
	Details of staff who have received payments are shown as follows:
	
		
			   Payments in financial year 
			   2004-05  2005-06  2006-07  2007-08  2008-09 
			 Total value of exceeded payments () 261,832 183,318 253,038 370,020 441,004 
			 Number of payments 523 538 505 547 566 
			 Total value of special recognition scheme payments ()22,970 57,820 
			 Number of payments265 560 
		
	
	 Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science
	 1.  Performance Related Pay
	
		
			   000 
			   2004-05  2005-06  2006-07  2007-08  2008-09 
			 Corporate performance pay 410 496 538 690 528 
			 Individual performance related pay 130 155 155 161 350 
			 Total staff 523 508 520 508 522 
			  Notes: The CEFAS performance related pay (PRP) scheme has varied in recent years. It comprises a corporate performance pay element payable to eligible staff as well as an individual performance related pay (iPRP) element for a smaller proportion of staff. In 2008-09 the weighting of the iPRP element was increased while the corporate pay element decreased. The table shows total costs charged, including CEFAS NI contributions, for both the corporate and iPRP elements. A summary of the 2008-09 scheme allows for: A Corporate performance element for eligible staff (as per total staff) of 2.2 per cent. of salary, explicitly linked to achievement of agreed agency targets. A further corporate performance growth element for all eligible staff of up to 1.3 per cent. of salary could be awarded, this must be self-funded and is explicitly linked to generation of additional income from sources other than DEFRA. An iPRP element awarded at two levels, 4 per cent. or 8 per cent., for approximately 25 per cent. and 15 per cent. of staff respectively. 
		
	
	 2.  CEFAS Staff Recognition Schemes
	
		
			   2004-05  2005-06  2006-07  2007-08  2008-09 
			 Staff spot recognition total cost (000) 12 12 14 14 14 
			 Number of employees/awards 244 244 284 284 278 
		
	
	 Staff Spot Recognition Scheme
	The scheme is open to all staff, excluding Board Members, and is awarded in recognition of an outstanding piece of work or contribution to CEFAS. The awards are presented as 50 vouchers for MS and are allocated pro rata across divisions.
	 Veterinary Laboratories Agency
	 Staff Suggestions/ Innovations Scheme
	
		
			   
			   Number of payments  Total value 
			 2004-05 0  
			 2005-06 4 175 
			 2006-07 1 75 
			 2007-08 0  
			 2008-09 2 200 
		
	
	 Annual performance payments
	
		
			   
			   Number of payments  Total value 
			 2004-05 133 30,777 
			 2005-06 148 35,034 
			 2006-07 162 39,120 
			 2007-08 180 45,357 
			 2008-09 195 47,409 
		
	
	 Team Rewards
	
		
			   
			   Number of payments  Total value 
			 2004-05 66 4,925 
			 2005-06 78 4,925 
			 2006-07 89 6,175 
			 2007-08 32 1,605 
			 2008-09 31 2,400 
		
	
	 Inventors Royalties
	
		
			   
			   Number of payments  Total value 
			 2004-05   
			 2005-06   
			 2006-07   
			 2007-08   
			 2008-09 3 2,060 
		
	
	 Food and Environment Research Agency
	 Annual performance payments
	
		
			   
			   Number of payments  Total value 
			 2004-05 415 140,000 
			 2005-06 256 131,000 
			 2006-07 256 177,000 
			 2007-08 327 237,000 
			 2008-09 318 253,000 
		
	
	 Intellectual Property Awardsrewards innovation and invention
	
		
			   
			   Number of payments  Total value 
			 2004-05 0  
			 2005-06 11 4,300 
			 2006-07 6 800 
			 2007-08 32 20,700 
			 2008-09 5 500

Departmental Public Expenditure

Nick Herbert: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much funding each of his Department's  (a) executive agencies and  (b) sponsored bodies received in the last five years; and how much each will receive in the (i) 2009-10 and (ii) 2010-11 financial years.

Dan Norris: The figures in the following tables reflect the actual administration, programme and capital expenditure for the period 2004-05 to 2008-09; and planned administration, programme and capital budgets for 2009-10 and 2010-11 by each of the Department's  (a) executive agencies and  (b) sponsored bodies:
	
		
			  (a) Executive Agencies 
			   million 
			   Actual  Budget 
			   2004-05  2005-06  2006-07  2007-08  2008-09  2009-10  2010-11 
			 Animal Health  91.0 98.8 109.2 134.7 126.7 112.4 
			 Marine Fisheries Agency  21.5 25.1 24.7 27.9 23.5 22.8 
			 Rural Payments Agency (operational costs) 239.1 227.8 242.2 244.5 230.7 202.3 179.0 
		
	
	DEFRA's other Executive Agenciesthe Food and Environment Research Agency (FERA), the Veterinary Laboratories Agency (VLA), the Veterinary Medicines Directorate (VMD) and the Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (CEFAS)recover their full economic costs through charges made to customers for services provided.
	
		
			  (b) Key sponsored bodies 
			   million 
			   Actual  Budget 
			   2004-05  2005-06  2006-07  2007-08  2008-09  2009-10  2010-11 
			 British Waterways Board(1) 59.7 66.2 56.0 57.4 62.7 58.3 48.6 
			 Commission for Rural Communities   5.1 7.4 6.3 6.4 6.1 
			 Environment Agency(2) 498.5 573.1 554.5 599.6 715.7 762.6 799.9 
			 Gangmasters Licensing Authority  3.2 2.6 3.1 3.1 4.3 4.0 
			 Joint Nature Conservation Committee(3)1.9 1.9 1.9 1.9 
			 Keep Britain Tidy 5.7 5.5 5.1 5.1 5.0 5.0 4.8 
			 National Forest Company 3.3 4.2 3.4 3.2 3.6 3.6 3.5 
			 National Parks(4) 35.8 42.1 43.1 44.2 46.8 47.6 48.9 
			 Natural Enoland(5)   194.6 181.0 223.7 213.5 168.2 
			 Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew 24.9 25.5 25.2 25.2 26.6 28.5 25.5 
			 Waste and Resources Action Programme(6) 45.7 68.2 57.9 58.8 42.6 56.6 51.9 
			 (1) 5 million of capital grant was brought forward from 2010-11 to 2009-10 for infrastructure projects under the Government's fiscal stimulus initiative. (2) Excludes the Agency's Closed Pension Fund. 20 million of capital grant was brought forward from 2010-11 to 2009-10 for flood risk management work as part of the Government's fiscal stimulus initiative. (3) Prior to 2007-08, DEFRA did not fund JNCC directly. DEFRA funding to JNCC was provided through English Nature and its successor body Natural England. Funding for JNCC was also provided by the devolved administrations through Scottish Natural Heritage and the Countryside Council for Wales and, from 2006-07, the Northern Ireland Department of Environment. (4) Covers funding for existing National Parks and the Broads Authority. Funding for the new South Downs National Park is excluded as there will not be an Authority until 2010-11 at the earliest and the grant has yet to be agreed. (5) Figures for NE represent DEFRA core funding plus annually agreed elements for cost neutral recharges for common services such as IT and HR support. The recharges for 2010-11 have yet to be finalised and are therefore not included in the 2010-11 budget figures. (6) Data for the years 2004-05 to 2008-09 is based on grant claimed by WRAP from DEFRA. Data for 2009-10 is based on DEFRA's grant offer to WRAP. Data for 2010-11 is based on DEFRA's indicative grant offer to WRAP. As a result of the implementation of the Delivery Landscape Review, data for 2009-10 and 2010-11 includes funding previously provided separately by DEFRA to Action Sustainability, Centre for Remanufacturing and Reuse, BREW Centre for local authorities, Envirowise, Construction Resources and Waste Platform and the National Industrial Symbiosis programme. Data for 2009-10 includes funding provided in Budget 2009 for capital expenditure on anaerobic digestion and in-vessel composting infrastructure. 
		
	
	Since 2007-08, the costs of funding JNCC have been shared by the four sponsoring administrations according to a funding formula whereby DEFRA alone funds the costs of JNCC's work on reserved matters such as marine work beyond territorial waters, overseas territories and international conventions. This element of the budget is set out in the table above. The remaining costs are shared by DEFRA (49.25 per cent.) funded through Natural England; Scottish Executive (29 per cent.) funded through Scottish Natural Heritage; Welsh Assembly Government (14.5 per cent.) funded through the Countryside Council for Wales; and DOE Northern Ireland (7.25 per cent.). The full GIA figures for JNCC, including contributions from the devolved administrations, are as follows
	
		
			million 
			 2004-05 5.9 
			 2005-06 6.3 
			 2006-07 6.8 
			 2007-08 7.9 
			 2008-09 7.8 
			 2009-10 7.8 
			 2010-11  
		
	
	In 2009-10, further funding (1.5 million) has been made available from the DEFR Marine programme to JNCC for the establishment and monitoring of marine protected areas/marine conservation zones (MPAs/MCZs) and broader marine biodiversity monitoring needs.
	Only the DEFRA funding for JNCC's work on reserved matters has so far been determined for 2010-11. The costs to be shared amongst the four sponsoring administrations and DEFRA marine funding have yet to be agreed.

Departmental Sick Leave

Justine Greening: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate he has made of the cost to his Department of sickness absence in each of the last five years.

Dan Norris: An estimate of the cost of sickness absence in DEFRA and its agencies in each of the last two financial years is shown in the following table. Comparable costs for earlier years are unavailable.
	
		
			million 
			 2007-08 9.7 
			 2008-09 9.6 
		
	
	There is no agreed method of calculating the cost of sickness absences in the civil service. DEFRA has calculated the annual cost by multiplying the number of working days lost due to sickness in each grade by the average salary for that grade. No account has been taken of staff on long-term sick who are on reduced or no pay, which would reduce the totals.
	DEFRA manages sickness absences in line with its sickness absence policy. This includes facilitating timely employee access to occupational health advice, medical or well-being interventions. Long-term sick employees are encouraged to return to work on a programme of recuperative duties where appropriate. All individuals returning to work from sickness absence will have a 'welcome back' discussion with their manager.

Landfill: EU Law

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  what recent assessment he has made of progress towards meeting the 2010 targets for waste management set under EU Landfill Directive; and what recent steps his Department has taken to meet these targets;
	(2)  what progress has been made towards meeting the 2010 targets for waste management under the EU Landfill Directive; and what steps have been taken to meet these targets.

Dan Norris: England is making good progress towards meeting its share of the UK's landfill diversion targets for biodegradable municipal waste set in the EU landfill directive. Overall considerable progress has been made in recent years and England sent less to landfill in 2007-08 than its 2010 target.
	The devolved Administrations are responsible for delivering their proportion of the UK targets, and are best placed to make assessments of progress made in their respective areas.
	The targets to reduce biodegradable municipal waste to landfill have required local authorities to find more sustainable ways to deal with the waste they collect. They have made substantial progress and should be congratulated on their efforts. DEFRA continues to offer advice and support to their efforts, including providing 2.5 billion in PFI credits to date to promote the procurement of waste treatment infrastructure.

Members: Correspondence

Michael Spicer: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when the Minister of State will reply to the letter from the hon. Member for West Worcestershire, dated 8 June 2009, on single supplements levied by hotels.

Dan Norris: I have not received a copy of the hon. Member's letter. If the hon. Member would like to resend it, I shall be happy to deal with it.

Nature Conservation: Finance

Martin Salter: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much funding his Department has allocated to the targeted species recovery component of the new framework for delivering priority habitats and species in England launched by Natural England in November 2008.

Huw Irranca-Davies: DEFRA, including its agencies, Natural England and the Environment Agency, allocated 2,170,000 in 2008-09 to the targeted recovery of species afforded conservation priority in England by the new delivery framework. It is anticipated that 2,586,000 will be allocated in 2009-10.

Pets: Animal Welfare

Mark Pritchard: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will take steps to reduce the number of pets abandoned by UK nationals emigrating from the UK.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The act of abandoning an animal is an example of failing to provide for its welfare needs and so is an offence under the Animal Welfare Act 2006. Punishment for such an offence is a fine of up to 5,000 or six months' imprisonment, or both.
	Neither enforcement agencies nor animal welfare charities have made us aware that there is a significant problem of animals being abandoned by people emigrating from this country.

Plastic Bags

Michael Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps his Department is taking to reduce the  (a) use and  (b) provision of plastic carrier bags.

Dan Norris: A voluntary agreement between the Government and Britain's leading supermarkets (represented by the British Retail Consortium (BRC)) aimed to cut the number of single -use carrier bags they provided by 50 per cent. by the end of May 2009, against 2006 levels.
	The Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP) which has been monitoring the agreement, reported that retailers only narrowly missed the target, achieving a reduction of 48 per cent. across the UK. These are significant results achieved solely on a voluntary basis, and the Government, BRC and the retailers it represents are working to continue reducing the number of bags distributed with a shared goal for a long-term reduction of 70 per cent. As part of the agreement, the Government, the BRC and WRAP launched a publicity campaign earlier this year encouraging consumers to 'Get A Bag Habit'and remember to reuse their carrier bags when shopping.

Private Finance Initiative

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many local authorities have  (a) applied for and  (b) obtained the private finance initiative credits announced in Budget 2009.

Dan Norris: Since 6 April 2009, of the waste projects included in the Budget and Comprehensive Spending Review there has been:
	 (a) One project consisting of three waste disposal authorities namely, Coventry City Council in partnership with Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council and Warwickshire County Council under the name Project Transform. This project received approval from HM Treasury's Project Review Group in May 2009.
	 (b) One project, Greater Manchester Waste Disposal Authority's waste Private Finance Initiative (PFI) awarded credits in April 2009 by DEFRA. The Authority submitted a claim form for PFI annuity grant (PFI Revenue Support payments) in August 2009.

Recycling: East of England

Shailesh Vara: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what proportion of waste arising from each local authority area in the East of England was recycled in each of the last five years.

Dan Norris: The table shows the municipal recycling rate for all local authorities in the East of England for the financial years 2003-04 through to 2007-08. This includes waste sent for recycling, composting and reuse.
	There are some data missing for 2004-05 due to WastedataFlow being introduced that year and about half of authorities not submitting data.
	
		
			  Municipal recycling rate 
			  Percentage 
			  Authority  2003-04  2004-05  2005-06  2006-07  2007-08 
			 Luton Borough Council 17.8 20.5 25.0 30.0 33.3 
			 South Bedfordshire District Council 11.2 13.9 28.4 31.6 38.6 
			 Mid Bedfordshire District Council 10.6 28.6 31.7 31.4 36.5 
			 Bedford Borough Council 9.9 n/a 22.5 25.5 28.2 
			 South Cambridgeshire District Council 26.5 44.3 46.5 48.7 51.2 
			 Peterborough City Council 28.2 27.9 32.1 40.1 43.2 
			 Huntingdonshire District Council 21.0 n/a 46.6 50.8 54.1 
			 Fenland District Council 7.0 18.6 29.2 43.8 46.8 
			 East Cambridgeshire District Council 12.4 n/a 31.1 35.0 35.5 
			 Cambridge City Council 21.5 29.5 33.7 34.7 37.2 
			 Thurrock Council 15.1 20.1 22.6 26.4 29.7 
			 Southend-on-Sea Borough Council 21.6 n/a 25.0 31.6 36.3 
			 Uttlesford District Council 16.7 n/a 22.9 38.3 48.8 
			 Tendring District Council 15.3 n/a 21.4 22.9 26.8 
			 Rochford District Council 10.1 n/a 14.7 17.1 19.3 
			 Maldon District Council 17.5 n/a 27.7 32.7 34.9 
			 Harlow District Council 13.2 15.2 18.3 20.5 22.5 
			 Epping Forest Borough Council 19.5 n/a 23.5 37.0 41.0 
			 Colchester Borough Council 23.4 30.5 28.6 30.1 30.5 
			 Chelmsford Borough Council 20.6 29.0 30.0 31.3 32.7 
			 Castle Point Borough Council 17.0 n/a 23.5 25.9 27.1 
			 Brentwood Borough Council 14.4 n/a 28.2 29.5 37.2 
			 Braintree District Council 19.9 27.5 30.9 33.3 40.6 
			 Basildon District Council 17.9 18.5 20.1 24.9 30.5 
			 Welwyn Hatfield Council 16.8 17.6 26.2 26.0 28.8 
			 Watford Borough Council 19.0 22.2 32.0 29.9 30.1 
			 Three Rivers District Council 16.9 n/a 37.3 40.7 43.4 
			 Stevenage Borough Council 15.5 n/a 25.3 25.2 26.2 
			 St. Albans City and District Council 19.0 21.8 28.2 32.3 36.3 
			 North Hertfordshire District Council 15.9 15.6 24.8 31.3 37.8 
			 Hertsmere Borough Council 11.0 12.7 22.9 27.7 27.5 
			 East Hertfordshire District Council 13.2 18.2 23.2 26.2 29.4 
			 Dacorum Borough Council 14.7 24.3 33.2 39.8 42.3 
			 Broxbourne Borough Council 14.0 n/a 25.5 26.2 28.2 
			 South Norfolk Council 17.2 22.4 27.4 30.7 36.4 
			 Norwich City Council 12.9 14.0 15.4 18.2 23.6 
			 North Norfolk District Council 14.4 27.5 35.31 40.0 43.2 
			 Kings Lynn and West Norfolk Borough Council 13.3 n/a 18.0 26.6 32.4 
			 Great Yarmouth Borough Council 7.1 9.3 17.3 25.7 26.3 
			 Broadland District Council 25.6 41.3 42.0 45.6 47.4 
			 Breckland Council 26.1 34.9 35.4 38.2 41.6 
			 Waveney District Council 12.0 30.4 44.9 44.2 47.8 
			 Suffolk Coastal District Council 22.2 25.8 30.8 36.2 39.6 
			 St. Edmundsbury Borough Council 31.0 45.8 43.1 45.4 45.5 
			 Mid Suffolk District Council 17.9 24.3 27.2 36.8 37.8 
			 Ipswich Borough Council 14.4 25.5 32.6 32.3 36.3 
			 Forest Heath District Council 26.9 n/a 41.3 42.6 42.7 
			 Babergh District Council 22.2 33.1 33.9 34.4 36.4 
			  Source: WasteDataFlow and DEFRA's Municipal Waste Management Survey.

Stray Dogs

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  what recent assessment he has made of the effect on animal welfare of the transfer of responsibility for stray dogs from local police forces to local authorities; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what recent assessment he has made of the effect on animal welfare of the transfer of responsibility for stray dogs from local police forces to local authorities; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Fitzpatrick: In April 2008 responsibility for dealing with stray dogs was removed from the police who had shared this role with local authorities. Sole responsibility now rests with local authorities, who already have arrangements in place to collect and house strays. An additional 4 million per year has been provided to local authorities to cover this additional responsibility.
	No assessment has been made of the effects of this change in responsibility on animal welfare.

Waste Management: Nuisance

Bob Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will issue guidance to local authorities on the use of enforcement powers in relation to statutory nuisances caused by activities associated with waste management regulated by the Environment Agency.

Dan Norris: In April 2008, the Environmental Permitting Regulations 2007 came into force. The regulations replaced and brought together the previous waste management licensing and Pollution Prevention and Control (PPC) systems under one environmental permitting regime.
	A consequence of this regulatory change is that local authorities now require the consent of the Secretary of State before instituting proceedings for statutory nuisances such as odour, noise, smoke, dust, artificial light and accumulations from a waste operation (i.e. a site regulated by the Environment Agency under an environmental permit or requiring registration as an exempt waste operation). Prior to April 2008, the Secretary of State's consent was only required in respect of the PPC regime.
	The changes to the statutory nuisance provisions were made to avoid an operator being subject to 'double jeopardy'; i.e. to ensure a local authority may not begin summary proceedings against an operator for nuisance, where proceedings can be brought by the Environment Agency under the Environmental Permitting Regulations. DEFRA officials are currently working with relevant stakeholders (i.e. the Local Authorities Coordinators of Regulatory Services (LACORS) and the Environment Agency) on the provision of future supplementary guidance on the factors to be taken into consideration in dealing with applications for the Secretary of State's consent.

Waste: Exports

Nick Herbert: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  how many individuals have been  (a) charged and  (b) prosecuted for the illegal export of waste in each of the last five years;
	(2)  what the  (a) number and  (b) monetary value was of fines imposed for the illegal export of waste in each of the last five years.

Dan Norris: Since 2004, the Environment Agency has had 18 successful prosecutions for illegal waste shipments. Four of these have been individuals and 14 have been companies. One company has been prosecuted twice in the space of two years. One individual was given a conditional discharge, the rest have received fines totalling 224,650.

Arc Manche

Bob Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what funding and support  (a) the Government Office for the South East,  (b) the South East England Regional Assembly and  (c) the South East England Development Agency has provided to the Arc Manche network.

Rosie Winterton: The funding that the Department has provided to the Arc Manche network is as follows:
	 (a) The Government office for the south east through the Interreg IIIB programme contributed 1.1 million ERDF to Arc Manche via the EMDI (Espace Manche Development Initiative) project;
	 (b) The South East England regional assembly did not contribute to the project; and
	 (c) The South East England Development Agency is aware of the Arc Manche Network but does not provide specific funding or support to it.

Council Housing: Construction

Dai Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to chapter 2, paragraph 52, of Building Britain's Future, Cm 7654, when he expects construction to start on the council built and owned social rental homes; and what the proposed locations of the new homes are.

John Healey: 49 local authorities have now made successful applications to the Homes and Communities Agency for grant funding to build new council homes. Construction is expected on the first sites before the end of this year. A table giving the locations and numbers of the new homes has been placed in the Library of the House.
	I launched a second bidding round on 28 September 2009. I am to announce successful schemes in December.

Departmental Information and Communications Technology

Justine Greening: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what IT systems have been in development for use within his Department in the last five years; what the reason for the development of each system was; how much has been spent on the development of each system; and which systems have been subsequently  (a) implemented,  (b) terminated prior to implementation and  (c) terminated following implementation.

Barbara Follett: IT Systems developed specifically for use in Communities and Local Government in the last five years are set out in the following table. None of such systems were terminated prior to implementation.
	
		
			  System  Reason for development  Development cost (000)  Implemented  Terminated following implementation 
			 Data Interchange Hub The Data Interchange Hub was developed to provide a secure online repository for government organisations, local authorities and inspectorates to deposit and/or access national indicator data from a single location. 1,442 Yes No 
			 Data Interchange HubGovernment Office National Indicator Tool The Places Analysis Tool (PAT) is an intuitive web-based tool for Local Area Agreement (LAA) partners to access and analyse data forming the National Indicators (NIs) alongside agreed local targets. 376 Yes No 
			 Floor Target Interactive (linked to Places Database) Floor Targets Interactive is a website that allows users to find and analyse data which is used to measure the performance of different places with respect to key government targets called Floor Targets. This site is intended to service both users in government and academia, and the wider public audience. 297 Yes No 
			 Places Database and State of the Cities To bring together data with a spatial element to ensure analysts and policy makers have the relevant evidence base to support policy decisions around the concept of Place. 1,117 (1)(277) Yes No 
			 National Register of Social Housing (NROSH) To provide property level information on all social housing in England and Wales, and to help local, regional authorities and housing associations improve strategies and investment planning. 2,500 Yes No 
			 TESA TESA (Transactional ERDF and State Aid) system was developed to manage the 2000-06 ERDF Programme. 1,800 Yes No 
			 MCIS MCIS (Management Control Information System) was developed to manage the 2007-13 ERDF Programme. 1,600 Yes No 
			 Fire and Rescue Services (FRS)Incident Recording System A new system of recording details of incidents attended by FRS. The web-based Incident Recording System (IRS) is a great advance as it replaces paper form reporting, thus delivering substantial efficiencies in data capture. The system also results in richer, timelier and higher quality data, which will improve the evidence base for policy and on the ground service by the FRS. 3,639 Yes No 
			 (1) Costs for enhancement.

Departmental Non-Domestic Rates

Justine Greening: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many properties owned by the Department were liable for payment of  (a) business rates and  (b) empty property rates in each of the last five years; and what the bill for each was in each such year.

Barbara Follett: The Department for Communities and Local Government are liable for business rates on the following freehold property:
	
		
			  Fire Experimental Unit, Moreton in Marsh, Gloucestershire 
			   
			   Business rates  Empty rates 
			 2004-05 17,100 0 
			 2005-06 18,990 0 
			 2006-07 19,485 0 
			 2007-08 19,980 0 
			 2008-09 20,790 0

Departmental Pay

Bob Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government with reference to page 25 of his Department's Resource Accounts 2008-09, HC 449, for what reasons the salary ranges relating to Director-General  (a) Mike Falvey and  (b) Joe Montgomery were increased by 20,000 in 2008-09.

Shahid Malik: holding answer 9 September 2009
	In the Department's Resource Accounts, the salaries paid to Board members are identified in bands of 5,000. Details are provided for the period covered by the Resource Accounts and for the previous financial year.
	In the financial year 2008-09, the salary paid to Director-General Joe Montgomery increased as a result of payment of a non-consolidated sum, under the annual pay arrangements for senior civil servants, together with repositioning of his base salary to reflect an increase in responsibility. With these increases, the total paid in salary to Joe Montgomery in 2008-09 exceeded the previous threshold for the band in which his income had been reported in 2007-08.
	The salary paid to Director-General Mike Falvey increased as a result of payment of a non-consolidated sum that formed part of the contractual arrangements agreed at the time of his appointment. With this increase, the total paid in salary to Mike Falvey in 2008-09 exceeded the previous threshold for the band in which his income had been reported in 2007-08.

Departmental Recycling

Stewart Hosie: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what proportion of his Department's waste was recycled in the latest period for which figures are available.

Barbara Follett: In 2008-09, the Department for Communities and Local Government's recycling rate was 58 per cent.

Departmental Sick Leave

Justine Greening: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate he has made of the average length of employment of staff of his Department at each Civil Service payband.

Barbara Follett: The Department for Communities and Local Government came into existence on 5 May 2006 replacing the former Office for the Deputy Prime Minister. The average (median) years in post, by grade level, for staff in Communities and Local Government as at end of March 2009 is set out in the following table:
	
		
			   Average years (median) 
			 AA 2.9 
			 AO 2.0 
			 EO 0.9 
			 HEO 0.7 
			 SEO 0.9 
			 Grade 7 0.7 
			 Grade 6 0.8 
			 SCS 0.9 
			 All grades 0.8

Domestic Waste: Waste Disposal

Bob Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what guidance has been issued by his Department and its agencies on the siting of household waste collection facilities in new dwellings.

Ian Austin: The Government provide a requirement and guidance for the provision of and access to storage for solid waste, such as waste bins, in Part H6 of Schedule 1 of the Building Regulations 2000, and in Category 5Waste, of the Code for Sustainable Homes (the Code.)
	The guidance in the Building Regulations sets out that the requirement in Part H6 will be met if the solid waste storage is:
	designed and sited so as not to be prejudicial to health;
	of sufficient area having regard to the requirements of the waste collection authority for the number and size of receptacles under Sections 46 and 47 of the Environmental Protection Act 1990;
	sited so as to be accessible for use by people in the building and of ready access for removal to the collection point specified by the waste collection authority under Sections 4 and 47 of the Environmental Protection Act 1990.
	The Code is the voluntary national standard for the design and construction of sustainable new homes. To obtain a Code certificate there are certain minimum standards that must be observed which include the storage of household waste. These standards are based on British Standard 5906 (100 litres for the first bedroom and then a further 70 litres for each additional bedroom) and will be met if:
	space is provided for storage of containers for separated waste, with a combined capacity of 0.25m(3) or in agreement with the waste collection authority;
	all the containers are accessible to disabled people.
	The Code also provides credits for the provision of dedicated storage for recyclable household waste and for composting.

Domestic Waste: Waste Disposal

Bob Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether any advice or guidance has been given to local authorities on the use of wheeled refuse containers in conservation areas.

Ian Austin: Further to the answer given by my hon. Friend the Member for Wansdyke (Dan Norris) to the hon. Member for Peterborough (Mr. Jackson) on 13 July 2009,  Official Report, column 10W, no advice or guidance has been given to local authorities on the use of wheeled refuse containers in conservation areas.

Fire Services: Industrial Disputes

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what contingency fire cover arrangements, other than the use of retained fire fighters, there are in the event of a  (a) local and  (b) national firefighters' strike.

Shahid Malik: holding answer 14 September 2009
	The provision of emergency fire cover during local and national strikes is the statutory responsibility of fire and rescue authorities. Past experience has shown that fire and rescue authorities utilise a range of personnel to provide emergency fire cover, including officers and whole time duty system firefighters who are not in the union which is in dispute. In London, the London Fire and Emergency Planning Authority have entered into a contract with AssetCo plc, for the provision of an Emergency Fire Crew Capability Service to the London Fire Brigade.

Government Office for London: Finance

Justine Greening: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the  (a) salary and  (b) non-salary administration budget of the Government Office for London is for 2009-10; how many members of staff the Office has in 2009-10; and what the Office's budget for each of its programmes is in 2009-10.

Rosie Winterton: The 2009-10 administrative budget for Government office for London (GOL) is:
	
		
			
			 Salary 10,439,440 
			 Non-pay 646,390 
			 Total 11,085,830 
		
	
	The gross accommodation budget for GOL for 2009-10 is 4,592,154 and related tariff/minor occupier income of 753,900. The net accommodation budget is 3,838,254.
	GOL staff in post as at the end of August 2009 = 204.
	
		
			  2009-10 programme budgets 
			  Block  Department  Programme  Amount () 
			 A DCSF Youth Opportunity Fund 7,222,800 
			  DCSF Youth Capital Fund 4,394,100 
			  DCSF Youth Capital Fund Plus 4,524,517 
			  DCSF Teenage Pregnancy 120,000 
			  DCSF Young London Matters 800,000 
			  DCSF Children's Service Advisers Support 280,000 
			  DCSF Children and Learners Strategic Advisers (CLSA) 70,000 
			  DCSF Director for Children and Learners Networking Budget 60,000 
			  DCSF Safeguarding Advisers 110,000 
			  DCSF Quality Protects 150,000 
			  DCSF Education Protects 17,000 
			  DCSF LAG GO Pilot Projects 100,000 
			  DCSF Sustainable Schools additional money 50,000 
			  DCSF Childcare Regional Networking 275,000 
			  DCSF National Healthy Schools 185,000 
			  DCSF Parenting Implementation Project 50,000 
			  DCSF 2 year old Pilots Funding 68,500 
			  DCSF Preventing Violent Extremism 100,000 
			  Home Office Regional Partnership Performance Improvement Fund 100,000 
			  Home Office Prevent Fund 76,000 
			  CLG Prevent Programme Delivery 140,000 
			  CLG Protect Programme Delivery 112,500 
			  Home Office Private Space Violence Fund 350,000 
			  MOJ SDVC/IDVA Fund 200,000 
			  Home Office Youth Crime Delivery 97,560 
			  Sub-total  19,652,977 
			 
			 B DCLG GLA General Grant 48,068,000 
			  Sub-total  48,068,000 
			 C DCLG NDCNew Deal For Communities 53,547,898 
			  DCLG Local Area Agreements 520,474,971 
			  DCLG Regional Housing Pot (LA Decent Homes) 144,817,000 
			  DCLG Regional Housing Pot (Private Sector Renewal) 87,183,000 
			  DCLG Disabled Facilities Grant 21,572,000 
			  DEFRA Sustainable Development Transformation and Transition Fund 40,000 
			  DEFRA Regional Climate Change Partnership Funding 45,000 
			  DEFRA Sustainable Farming and Food Fund 20,000 
			  Sub-total  827,699,869 
			 
			  Grand total  895,420,846 
			  Blocks: AProgrammes directly allocated/delegated to GOL BGrants to GLA CProgrammes without delegation but GOL delivery/management responsibility

Government Offices for the Regions: Expenditure

Justine Greening: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much each regional Government Office spent on  (a) car hire,  (b) train travel,  (c) air travel, ( d) hotels and  (e) restaurant meals in each of the last five years.

Rosie Winterton: The Government office expenditure is set out as follows:
	
		
			  (a) Car hire 
			   
			  GO  2004-05  2005-06  2006-07  2007-08  2008-09 
			 North East 7,221 4,377 2,829 3,698 2,210 
			 North West 26,825 33,580 21,534 23,038 26,522 
			 Yorks and Humber 20,574 5,706 2,664 7,854 6,249 
			 West Midlands 13,276 14,492 7,732 4,863 2,235 
			 East Midlands 13,406 5,967 1,714 7,811 11,060 
			 East 5,478 5,882 3,591 16,767 659 
			 South East 12,268 7,043 16,717 2,223 9,672 
			 South West 81,962 102,388 101,918 75,054 72,367 
			 London 27 0 0 0 0 
		
	
	
		
			  (b) Train travel 
			   
			  GO  2004-05  2005-06  2006-07  2007-08  2008-09 
			 North East 292,441 270,952 223,520 241,158 214,201 
			 North West 384,048 348,295 282,440 303,769 319,727 
			 Yorks and Humber 253,857 233,881 230,243 240,192 247,966 
			 West Midlands 179,486 162,472 155,376 125,027 132,170 
			 East Midlands 153,210 69,431 59,099 95,892 102,643 
			 East 191,450 176,056 142,024 137,719 135,531 
			 South East 113,783 96,444 82,061 73,521 70,012 
			 South West 336,479 291,734 260,246 252,066 228,055 
			 London 113,495 70,271 50,248 46,634 43,086 
		
	
	
		
			  (c) Air travel 
			   
			  GO  2004-05  2005-06  2006-07  2007-08  2008-09 
			 North East 1,554 817 0 0 0 
			 North West 122 2,854 21,534 533 1,313 
			 Yorks and Humber 4,364 3,011 2,664 7,854 6,249 
			 West Midlands 24,667 27,792 7,732 4,863 2,235 
			 East Midlands 0 0 0 0 0 
			 East 326 0 0 0 0 
			 South East 20,750 9,418 6,905 8,063 3,400 
			 South West 0 0 0 0 0 
			 London 20,426 1,910 2,798 0 0 
		
	
	
		
			  (d)/(e) Hotels/restaurant meals 
			   
			  GO  2004-05  2005-06  2006-07  2007-08  2008-09 
			 North East 122,459 104,005 95,794 103,353 91,801 
			 North West 233,365 230,701 203,167 179,348 156,682 
			 Yorks and Humber 115,873 133,426 127,419 98,665 146,841 
			 West Midlands 98,397 92,209 83,664 67,322 71,168 
			 East Midlands 152,866 237,094 174,306 143,146 147,627 
			 East 82,050 75,453 60,867 59,022 58,085 
			 South East 129,864 114,871 98,219 74,636 93,192 
			 South West 273,039 317,445 291,145 266,655 249,904 
			 London 46,631 26,931 21,535 19,986 18,465 
		
	
	The information is taken from the central accounting system and this does not provide a detailed break down of T and S claims made by GO staff, thus the costs of hotels and restaurant meals are not individually identified.

Government Offices for the Regions: Pay

Margaret Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what salary grades staff in each Government Office are employed upon.

Rosie Winterton: The current pay ranges for staff employed in the Government Offices with effect from 1 August 2009 are as follows:
	
		
			   
			  Grade  Minimum  Maximum 
			 AA London 19,863 20,700 
			 Typist London 19,863 20,700 
			 AA National 14,482 15,164 
			 SGB2 National 14,482 15,164 
			 Typist National 14,482 15,164 
			 AA Outer London 16,765 18,610 
			 Typist Outer London 16,765 18,610 
			 SGB2 Outer London 16,765 18,610 
			 AO London 21,267 23,814 
			 PS London 21,267 23,814 
			 AO National 16,457 18,414 
			 PS National 16,457 18,414 
			 SGB1 National 16,457 18,414 
			 AO Outer London 19,133 22,095 
			 PS Outer London 19,133 22,095 
			 SGB1 Outer London 19,133 22,095 
			 EO London 24,730 29,277 
			 SPS London 24,730 29,277 
			 EO National 19,927 23,582 
			 SPS National 19,927 23,582 
			 EO Outer London 22,628 26,958 
			 SPS Outer London 22,628 26,958 
			 MCO National 24,377 28,852 
			 RO National 24,377 28,852 
			 MCO Outer London 26,402 31,456 
			 RO Outer London 26,402 31,456 
			 EO Accountant London 28,932 33,129 
			 EO Accountant National 23,386 27,675 
			 EO Accountant Outer London 26,930 32,084 
			 HEO London 30,858 34,274 
			 HEO National 26,676 29,599 
			 HEO Outer London 29,289 33,220 
			 HEO Accountant London 36,363 40,071 
			 HEO Auditor London 36,363 40,071 
			 HEO Accountant National 30,822 34,062 
			 HEO Auditor National 30,822 34,062 
			 HEO Accountant Outer London 33,542 38,908 
			 HEO Auditor Outer London 33,542 38,908 
			 HSO London 34,116 37,927 
			 HPTO London 34,116 37,927 
			 HSO National 31,737 35,255 
			 HPTO National 31,737 35,255 
			 SIO National 31,737 35,255 
			 HSO Outer London 32,488 36,776 
			 HPTO Outer London 32,488 36,776 
			 SIO Outer London 32,488 36,776 
			 InfO London 31,977 37,757 
			 InfO National 28,106 34,602 
			 SEO London 37,612 41,762 
			 SEO National 32,599 36,177 
			 SEO Outer London 35,316 40,071 
			 SEO Accountant London 41,799 46,639 
			 SEO Accountant National 36,789 41,087 
			 SEO Auditor National 36,789 41,087 
			 SEO Accountant Outer London 39,521 45,286 
			 SEO Auditor Outer London 39,521 45,286 
			 SInfO London 39,619 43,219 
			 SInfO National 37,371 40,767 
			 SPTO London 44,450 49,391 
			 SPO London 44,450 49,391 
			 SRO London 44,450 49,391 
			 SSO London 44,450 49,391 
			 SPTO National 40,640 45,139 
			 SPO National 40,640 45,139 
			 SRO National 40,640 45,139 
			 SSO National 40,640 45,139 
			 SPTO Outer London 42,001 47,550 
			 SPO Outer London 42,001 47,550 
			 SRO Outer London 42,001 47,550 
			 SSO Outer London 42,001 47,550 
			 G7 London 49,363 61,151 
			 G7 Accountant London 49,363 61,151 
			 G7 National 44,509 54,946 
			 G7 Accountant National 44,509 54,946 
			 G7 Outer London 47,556 59,827 
			 G7 Accountant Outer London 47,556 59,827 
			 G6 London 58,899 73,498 
			 G6 National 54,490 67,506 
			 G6 Outer London 57,671 72,548 
			 SCS Pay Band 1 58,200 117,800 
			 SCS Pay Band 1A 67,600 128,900 
			 SCS Pay Band 2 82,900 162,500 
		
	
	The London rates are paid to staff working in the Government Office for London; the Outer London rates to staff working in the Government Office for the South East; and National rates to staff working in the other seven Government Offices. There is no difference in the pay rates for SCS Pay Bands 1, 1A and 2 in different parts of the country. Staff can be paid a salary anywhere between the minimum and maximum.

Government Offices Network Centre and Services

Bob Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the budget of the Government Offices Network Centre and Services is for 2009-10.

Rosie Winterton: The budget for the pay and non-pay costs of the Government Office Network Centre and Services for 2009-10 is 5,732,470.
	The Government Office NCS also manages central budgets for the Government Office Network, including ICT and property, totalling 32,670,930 for 2009-10.

Housing: Low Incomes

Bob Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate he has made of the monetary value of developers' contributions under Section 106 agreements in each year since 1997; and what changes have been made to the criteria used to determine the level of such contributions since 1997.

Ian Austin: Detailed information on the value and nature of section 106 contributions are not held centrally. The Government have conducted a survey of the use and value of planning obligations among English local authorities for the years 2003-04 and 2005-06. These research reports are published on the Communities and Local Government website.
	This research estimates that the total value of planning obligations agreed in England has increased from 1.9 billion in 2003-04 to 4 billion in 2005-06. Figures for 2005-06 show that of the total value of planning obligations made in that year, the majority of contributions were made towards affordable housing (50 per cent.), followed by the provision of land (24 per cent.), transport and travel (9 per cent.), open space and the environment (5 per cent.), education (4 per cent.), community works and leisure (2 per cent.), and other contributions (6 per cent.).

Infrastructure Planning Commission

Bob Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what notice period has been specified in the contracts for the commissioners of the Infrastructure Planning Commission.

John Healey: The contracts for the commissioners of the Infrastructure Planning Commission specify that the appointment can be terminated by either party, by giving three months' notice in writing. It also stipulates that the Secretary of State may remove a person from office as the chair, or as deputy or other Commissioner, if the Secretary of State is satisfied that:
	(a) the person is unable or unwilling to perform the duties of the office;
	(b) the person has been convicted of a criminal offence; or
	(c) the person is otherwise unfit to perform the duties of the office.

Land Use

Bob Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what guidance has been given to  (a) local planning authorities and  (b) regional planning bodies on undertaking employment land reviews.

Ian Austin: We published 'Employment Land Reviews: Guidance Note' in December 2004. This guidance note seeks to help local planning authorities and regional planning bodies in assessing the demand for, and supply of employment land.

Local Government Finance

Bob Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the policy is of  (a) his Department and  (b) the Audit Commission on encouraging local authorities to increase revenue from fees and charges.

Barbara Follett: Decisions on those fees and charges where local authorities are responsible for determining the level, are a matter for individual councils.
	The Audit Commission's views on local authorities' policy on fees and charges is set out in its report 'Positively Charged', published in January 2008, which can be found at
	http://www.audit-commission.gov.uk/nationalstudies/localgov/Pages/positivelycharged.aspx

Local Government: Executives

Margaret Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government which local authorities have made their chief executive redundant as a result of local government reorganisation in the last five years; what severance pay was awarded in each case; and which of them have subsequently taken up employment in another local authority.

Rosie Winterton: The establishment of nine new unitary councils on 1 April 2009 involves 44 chief executives leaving office through resignation, redundancy or retirement as decided locally and on which information is not held centrally.
	These changes are part of the wider restructuring process which has led to a reduction of 330 senior management posts saving 23 million per annum. Under the Government's criteria for restructuring, any costs of transition, including redundancy costs, are met by savings or reserves and are not a call on the council tax.

Local Government: Official Hospitality

Margaret Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what guidance his Department issues to local authorities on the receipt of hospitality by local authority staff involved in planning matters; and what records his Department holds on the receipt of such hospitality.

Ian Austin: While the Department issues guidance for councillors' conduct it has not issued any guidance for local authority employees. Local authority employees' behaviour regarding the receipt of hospitality would be determined by their terms and conditions of employment. In addition, the employing authority may have a code of conduct for employees addressing this issue. Consequently, the Department holds no records on the receipt of such hospitality. The Local Government Association has issued guidance in Probity in Planning: The Role of Councillors and OfficersRevised Guidance Note on Good Planning Practice for Councillors and Officers Dealing With Planning Matters. This can be viewed at:
	http://www.lga.gov.uk/lga/aio/1940404

Local Government: Pay

Margaret Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what staff in which local authorities received a remuneration package in excess of 100,000 in 2008-09; and what their job title was in each case.

Barbara Follett: The information requested is not held centrally.

Local Government: Pay

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate he has made of the number of local authority employees who received more than 64,000 in salary in the latest year for which figures are available.

Barbara Follett: The information requested is not held centrally.

Non-Domestic Rates

Justine Greening: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many  (a) small and  (b) large properties in each region will be subject to (i) an increase and (ii) a decrease in business rates of (A) zero, (B) one to five, (C) six to 10, (D) 11 to 15, (E) 16 to 20, (F) 21 to 30, (G) 31 to 40, (H) 41 to 50, (I) 51 to 100, (J) 101 to 200 and (K) over 200 per cent. before the application of transitional relief in 2010-11.  [Official Report, 22 October 2009, Vol. 497, c. 5-6MC.]

Rosie Winterton: The following tables show the number of small and large properties by their percentage change in business rates before the application of transitional relief in 2010-11, grouped by Government office region.
	A small property is defined as having a rateable value less than 18,000, or 25,500 in London. This is the definition proposed in the 2010 Transitional Relief consultation document published on 8 July 2009.
	The analysis uses data from the Local List only; properties on the Central List are excluded.
	
		
			  Small properties 
			   North East  North West  North Yorkshire and the Humber West  East Midlands  West Midlands  East of England  London  South East  South West 
			 Less than -50% 200 600 500 1,200 400 600 800 700 400 
			 Between -50% (including) and -40% (excluding) 300 900 600 1,800 600 900 1,500 900 600 
			 Between -40% (incl.) and -30% (excl.) 500 1,900 1,400 5,900 1,700 2,500 2,500 2,800 1,700 
			 Between -30% (incl.) and -20% (excl.) 2,200 6,000 4,100 16,100 8,100 6,600 6,700 11,500 4,900 
			 Between -20% (incl.) and -15% (excl.) 10,000 36,400 31,700 43,000 32,900 22,500 28,500 46,600 13,500 
			 Between -15% (incl.) and -10% (excl.) 8,300 18,700 12,100 8,900 18,600 13,400 11,900 18,900 10,600 
			 Between -10% (incl.) and -5% (excl.) 10,900 23,800 18,700 8,000 19,900 14,900 20,500 23,400 15,600 
			 Between -5% (incl.) and -0% (excl.) 7,700 20,400 15,200 5,600 13,200 13,500 19,700 14,400 15,900 
			 No change (0%)(1) (2) (2) (2) (2) (2) 100 (2) 100 (2) 
			 Between 0% (excl.) and 5% (incl.) 7,400 18,900 14,200 4,700 12,900 12,000 24,300 12,300 18,400 
			 Between 5% (excl.) and 10% (incl.) 2,500 10,400 9,600 2,400 5,900 7,900 16,300 8,200 12,100 
			 Between 10% (excl.) and 15% (incl.) 2,100 9,300 7,200 1,800 6,600 6,900 10,500 7,600 10,300 
			 Between 15% (excl.) and 20% (incl.) 1,400 7,200 4,700 1,200 4,200 7,300 10,600 5,300 7,800 
			 Between 20% (excl.) and 30% (incl.) 2,000 11,200 5,900 1,400 6,100 8,700 13,500 7,900 11,000 
			 Between 30% (excl.) and 40% (incl.) 1,000 6,600 2,800 800 2,300 6,000 8,700 4,300 7,500 
			 Between 40% (excl.) and 50% (incl.) 400 3,300 1,500 700 1,500 2,200 5,600 2,200 4,200 
			 Between 50% (excl.) and 100% (incl.) 1,100 5,200 2,600 1,200 2,800 3,600 10,800 4,900 8,200 
			 Between 100% (excl.) and 200% (incl.) 300 1,000 800 300 600 1,000 1,700 1,000 1,300 
			 More than 200% (excl.) 100 200 200 100 200 300 100 200 400 
			 (1) 344 properties see no change in their business rates bill. All these properties have zero Rateable Value before and after the revaluation. (2) Negligible (less than 50).  Note: Figures rounded to the nearest hundred. 
		
	
	
		
			  Large properties 
			   North East  North West  North Yorkshire and the Humber West  East Midlands  West Midlands  East of England  London  South East  South West 
			 Less than -50% (1) 100 (1) (1) 100 100 100 100 (1) 
			 Between -50% (including) and -40% (excluding) 100 200 100 200 200 200 200 300 100 
			 Between -40% (incl.) and -30% (excl.) 100 600 300 1,100 500 800 700 1,100 400 
			 Between -30% (incl.) and -20% (excl.) 600 2,200 1,200 4,600 3,100 3,200 2,400 7,100 1,400 
			 Between -20% (incl.) and -15% (excl.) 2,800 9,500 7,500 9,700 9,400 6,300 5,900 15,500 3,200 
			 Between -15% (incl.) and -10% (excl.) 2,500 7,700 5,300 3,500 8,300 6,600 5,800 10,000 3,700 
			 Between -10% (incl.) and -5% (excl.) 2,500 8,500 5,500 2,600 6,400 6,900 8,100 9,600 4,600 
			 Between -5% (incl.) and -0% (excl.) 2,100 6,900 4,500 2,300 4,900 6,000 9,200 7,400 5,100 
			 No change (0%)(2) 0 0 0 0 0 0 9,300 0 0 
			 Between 0% (excl.) and 5% (incl.) 1,700 5,700 4,000 1,900 3,300 4,800 7,000 5,800 5,300 
			 Between 5% (excl.) and 10% (incl.) 1,100 3,800 3,000 1,300 2,200 3,700 5,300 4,600 4,300 
			 Between 10% (excl.) and 15% (incl.) 900 2,800 2,200 900 1,400 2,800 4,300 3,400 3,600 
			 Between 15% (excl.) and 20% (incl.) 600 2,000 1,700 600 1,000 2,000 6,900 2,600 2,700 
			 Between 20% (excl.) and 30% (incl.) 900 2,700 2,100 700 1,300 2,500 5,200 3,200 3,500 
			 Between 30% (excl.) and 40% (incl.) 400 1,500 1,000 400 600 1,500 4,000 1,900 1,800 
			 Between 40% (excl.) and 50% (incl.) 200 800 600 300 400 800 10,100 1,100 1,200 
			 Between 50% (excl.) and 100% (incl.) 400 1,400 900 600 600 1,400 1,100 2,100 1,800 
			 Between 100% (excl.) and 200% (incl.) 200 500 300 300 300 400 200 600 500 
			 More than 200% (excl.) 100 100 100 100 100 100 0 200 200 
			 (1 )Negligible (less than 50). (2) 344 properties see no change in their business rates bill. All these properties have zero Rateable Value before and after the revaluation.  Note: Figures rounded to the nearest hundred.

Non-Domestic Rates

Justine Greening: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if he will place in the Library a copy of the data on rateable values used as the basis of the statement on page 10 of his Department's consultation paper on transitional arrangements for the non-domestic rating revaluation 2010 in England that the 2010 revaluation will result in more ratepayers seeing reductions in bills (60 per cent. of ratepayers) than increases (40 per cent. of ratepayers).

Rosie Winterton: Before inflation, the 2010 business rates revaluation will reduce the rates bill for 1,028,500 properties and increase the rates bill for 677,800 properties. After rounding, this represents 60 per cent. and 40 per cent. of properties respectively. These figures are based on the same ratings list as used for the consultation document the transitional arrangements for the non-domestic rating revaluation 2010 in England published on 8 July 2009. The ratings list is a live database and is continually being updated (to reflect appeals, deletions, additions, physical alterations, splits and mergers).

Non-Domestic Rates

Justine Greening: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government 
	(1)  if he will place in the Library a copy of the data on rateable values used as the basis of the statement on page 12 of his Department's consultation paper on the transitional arrangements for the non-domestic rating revaluation 2010 in England that when transitional relief on the 2005 rating list ended on 1 April 2009 many businesses still faced large increases to their full bill;
	(2)  what estimate his Department has made of the number of 100,000 former recipients of transitional relief receiving significantly higher 2009-10 rates bills, referred to in his Department's Explanatory Memorandum to the Non-Domestic Rating (Deferred Payments) (England) Regulations 2009, which were  (a) small and  (b) large properties in each region; and what the average percentage increase was in bills in respect of those properties in 2009-10.

Barbara Follett: The statement on page 12 of the consultation paper Transitional Arrangements for the Non-Domestic Rating Revaluation 2010 in England was based on information contained in the August 2004 consultation paper NNDR Transitional Arrangements: Consultation which stated that 3,750 large properties and 90,000 small properties would benefit from transitional relief in the fourth year of the scheme. No estimates are available for the regional split.
	The earlier consultation paper can be found in the following link:
	http://www.communities.gov.uk/documents/localgovernment/pdf/430100.pdf
	The amount of transitional relief awarded in 2008-09 was 99 million. We do not collect data on the number of properties that received that relief.

Non-Domestic Rates

Justine Greening: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the overall percentage change in the rateable value of  (a) small and  (b) large properties will be in each region under the 2010 rates revaluation.

Rosie Winterton: The table shows the overall percentage change in the rateable value of small and large properties in each region under the 2010 revaluation.
	A small property is defined as having a rateable value less than 18,000, or 25,500 in London. This is the definition proposed in the 2010 Transitional Relief consultation document published on 8 July 2009.
	The analysis uses data from the Local List only; properties on the Central List are excluded.
	
		
			   Percentage change in rateable value 
			  Government Office Region  Small properties  Large properties 
			 North East 13.9 19.4 
			 North West 15.8 16.9 
			 Yorkshire and the Humber 14.7 18.6 
			 East Midlands 2.1 8.3 
			 West Midlands 11.1 11.6 
			 East of England 16.3 16.0 
			 London 23.7 32.2 
			 South East 11.8 13.5 
			 South West 23.4 22.8 
			
			 England (Local List only) 15.8 20.0

Non-Domestic Rates

Justine Greening: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what methodology his Department used to calculate the increase in the small business rateable value threshold for  (a) London and  (b) elsewhere referred to on page 10 of his Department's consultation paper on transitional arrangements for the non-domestic rating revaluation 2010 in England.

Rosie Winterton: The thresholds to be used in the 2010 transitional arrangements for large and small properties have been calculated by taking the same thresholds from the 2005 scheme, increasing them by the overall percentage increase in rateable values at the 2010 revaluation and then rounding them to the nearest 500. These figures are based on the same ratings list as used for the consultation document the transitional arrangements for the non-domestic rating revaluation 2010 in England published on 8 July 2009. The ratings list is a live database and is continually being updated (to reflect appeals, deletions, additions, physical alterations, splits and mergers).

Non-Domestic Rates

Justine Greening: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if he will place in the Library a copy of the data on rateable values used as the basis for the statement in his Department's press releases of 8 July 2009, Government consults on help with business rate bills, that as a result of revaluation and the relief arrangements one million businesses will see an average decrease of 770 in 2010-11.

Rosie Winterton: The 2010 business rates revaluation will reduce the rates bill for 1,028,500 properties. In total their rates bill will fall by 787,660,000 in 2010-11 after transitional relief but before inflation. That is an average, after rounding, of 770 per property. These figures are based on the same ratings list as used for the consultation document The Transitional Arrangements for the Non-domestic Rating Revaluation 2010 in England published on 8 July 2009. The ratings list is a live database and is continually being updated (to reflect appeals, deletions, additions, physical alterations, splits and mergers).

Non-Domestic Rates

Justine Greening: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much of the costs to Government of the Non-Domestic Rating (Deferred Payments) (England) Regulations 2009, referred to in the impact assessment for those Regulations are attributable to  (a) bad debt and  (b) the value of the discounted repayments being less than the value of the deferred amount.

Barbara Follett: The Impact Assessment to accompany the Non-Domestic Rating (Deferred Payments) (England) Regulations estimated that between 50 per cent. and 90 per cent. of businesses will choose to defer the increase in their rates bill in 2009-10; and the percentage of revenue that could be written off as bad debt could be between 1 per cent. and 5 per cent. of the total amount deferred. On this basis, the amount of bad debt is estimated to be between 2 million and 20 million in both 2010-11 and 2011-12.
	Using the standard discount rate of 3.5 per cent. and assuming between 50 per cent. and 90 per cent. of businesses take up the option to defer the increase in business rates in 2009-10 and that between 1 per cent. and 5 per cent. of payments will be written off as bad debt, the final net present value of the deferral scheme to Government is estimated at between 20 million and 80 million. The rationale behind the standard discount rate can be found in Annex 6 of HM Treasury's Green Book.

Non-Domestic Rates: Greater London

Bob Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether the 50,000 threshold for the new supplementary business rate in London will be increased in line with the average increase in rateable values following the 2010 business rates revaluation.

Rosie Winterton: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to the hon. Member for Beckenham (Mrs. Lait) on 6 October 2008,  Official Report, column 350W.

Rents

Karen Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the average weekly rent rates were for tenants residing in  (a) private housing,  (b) housing association and other housing provided by registered social landlords and  (c) local authority housing in (i) 2007-08 and (ii) 2008-09.

Ian Austin: Average monthly rents for private tenants in England are published on the Communities and Local Government website in table 731. These monthly rents equate to average weekly rents of 129 in 2007-08. Data for private rents in 2008-09 is not yet available. These rent estimates are based on data from the Survey of English Housing.
	Table 731 at:
	http://www.communities.gov.uk/documents/housing/xls/141452.xls
	Average weekly rents for registered social landlords are published on the Communities and Local Government website in table 704. As at 31 March, the average weekly rent in England was 70 in 2008 and was 74 in 2009. These rent figures apply to general needs units only and are collected by the Tenant Services Authority, through the regulatory statistical return.
	Table 704 at:
	http://www.communities.gov.uk/documents/housing/xls/141632.xls
	Average weekly rents for local authorities are published on the Communities and Local Government website in table 702. The average weekly rent in England was 62 in 2007-08 and 64 in 2008-09 (provisional). These rent figures are collected from housing revenue account subsidy forms.
	Table 702 at:
	http://www.communities.gov.uk/documents/housing/xls/table-702.xls

Sleeping Rough: Hertfordshire

Michael Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate he has made of the number of rough sleepers in  (a) Hemel Hempstead constituency,  (b) Dacorum and  (c) Hertfordshire in each year since 1990.

Ian Austin: Annual rough sleeping figures have been collected since 1998. The figures are based on local authority street counts and until 2008, estimates where a street count did not take place.
	
		
			  Number of rough sleepers 
			   1998  1999  2000  2001  2002  2003  2004  2005  2006  2007  2008  2009 
			 Hemel Hempstead 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  
			 Dacorum 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  
			 Hertfordshire 30 27 11 4 1 0 5 0 5 2 5 5

Sleeping Rough: North West

Andrew Stunell: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate he has made of the number of rough sleepers in each local authority area in the North West in each year since 1990; and what methodology his Department uses to calculate such estimates.

Ian Austin: Annual rough sleeping figures have been collected since 1998. The figures are based on local authority street counts and until 2008 estimates where a street count did not take place. Local authorities evaluate the extent of rough sleeping within their area in accordance with the methodology on street counts set out in CLG's Guidance on evaluating the extent of rough sleeping2007 revision.
	
		
			  Number of rough sleepers in the north west: 
			   1998  1999  2000  2001  2002  2003  2004  2005  2006  2007  2008  2009 
			  Cheshire 
			 Cheshire East (Congleton, Crewe and Nantwich and Macclesfield)4 
			 Cheshire West and Chester (Chester, Ellesmere Port and Neston and Vale Royal)9 
			 Congleton 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 n/a 
			 Crewe and Nantwich 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 n/a 
			 Macclesfield 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 2 0 0 2 n/a 
			 Chester 21 26 16 3 1 1 1 1 6 6 9 n/a 
			 Ellesmere Port and Neston 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 1 1 0 n/a 
			 Vale Royal 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 n/a 
			 Halton 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 
			 Warrington 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 
			  
			  Cumbria 
			 Allerdale 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  
			 Copeland 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  
			 Barrow in Furness 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0  
			 Carlisle 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0  
			 Eden 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  
			 South Lakeland 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0  
			  
			  Greater Manchester 
			 Bolton 11 11 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  
			 Bury 12 6 3 3 0 3 0 0 0 1 0  
			 Manchester 31 44 23 17 19 9 18 7 5 7 11 9 
			 Oldham 3 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  
			 Rochdale 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  
			 Salford 0 4 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  
			 Stockport 0 4 4 0 0 0 0 5 0 1 1  
			 Tameside 1 1 2 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0  
			 Trafford 0 0 2 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  
			 Wigan 11 2 2 0 0 0 8 2 2 0 0  
			  
			  Lancashire 
			 Blackburn with Darwen 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  
			 Blackpool 15 12 0 4 4 0 4 4 0 0 7  
			 Burnley 0 0 0 0 0 3 3 0 0 0 0  
			 Chorley 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  
			 Fylde 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  
			 Hyndburn 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  
			 Lancaster 21 21 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  
			 Pendle 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  
			 Preston 0 0 2 0 3 0 14 3 3 0 8  
			 Ribble Valley 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  
			 Rossendale 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  
			 South Ribble 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  
			 West Lancashire 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  
			 Wyre 6 6 6 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  
			  
			  Merseyside 
			 Knowsley 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0  
			 Liverpool 17 30 19 13 19 19 10 8 9 12 13 9 
			 Sefton 21 21 17 5 2 0 0 1 1 0 0  
			 St Helens 11 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 2 2 0  
			 Wirral 0 0 3 0 0 2 2 0 3 3 0  
			 Total 181 194 108 47 49 37 64 35 36 33 54 32

Social Rented Housing: Waiting Lists

Bob Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether his Department has commissioned research into the legality of giving priority in social housing allocation policies to local residents; and if he will make a statement.

John Healey: Under the Housing Act 1996, local authorities may take into account any local connection which exists between an applicant and the authority's area, in determining priority between those in the reasonable preference categories.
	New statutory guidance, which we have published for consultation, (Fair and Flexible, July 2009) reinforces the message that local authorities have flexibility to take into account local needs and priorities when determining their allocation policies, including local connection.
	Allocation schemes that include local connection should not discriminate against any ethnic group and must comply with the relevant equalities legislation.

Sustainable Communities Act 2007

Bob Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what plans there are to hold a second round of bids by local authorities under the Sustainable Communities Act 2007.

Barbara Follett: The Secretary of State invited local authorities to submit proposals under the Sustainable Communities Act to the Local Government Association, acting as 'selector', by 31 July 2009. We are co-operating with the Local Government Association as they draw up a short-list of proposals. The timing of future rounds will be considered once the Government have had the opportunity to evaluate the implementation of the relevant sections of the Act.

Tenancy Deposit Schemes

Greg Mulholland: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if he will bring forward proposals to lift the 25,000 rental cap on the Tenancy Deposit Scheme.

John Healey: The Government's response to the Review of the Private Rented Sector, published for consultation in May, announced our intention to review the annual rental threshold for assured and assured shorthold tenancies. The consultation closed in August and we are now considering the responses received.

Tenant Services Authority

Margaret Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what consultations the Tenant Services Authority has undertaken since its inception; and  (a) how much each such consultation had cost and  (b) in which phase each such consultation was on the latest date for which figures are available.

Ian Austin: Since its establishment in December 2008, the Tenant Services Authority has undertaken a 'National Consultation' with tenants and landlords in order to inform the development of its new regulatory framework. The National Conversation is being conducted in two phases. 27,000 social housing tenants from across the country took part in the first phase, which ran from January to March 2009. The second phase is currently ongoing.
	In relation to the cost of the National Conversation, I refer my hon. Friend to the answer given by my hon. Friend the Member for Hartlepool (Mr. Wright) on 6 May 2009,  Official Report, column 251W.

Aviation

Peter Bottomley: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what assessment he has made of trends in the rate of  (a) air proximity incidents and  (b) risk-bearing incidents in UK airspace in each of the last five years.

Paul Clark: I am informed by the independent UK Airprox Board that the number of air proximity events for commercial air transport and general aviation has declined during the period 2004 to 2008, as set out in the following table.
	During this period, the number of risk bearing events (airprox categories A and B) for commercial air transport fell from eight to two and for general aviation from 55 to 39.
	Military airprox are a matter for the Ministry of Defence. Full details of airprox reports and analysis are to be found at:
	www.airproxboard.org.uk
	
		
			  Commercial Air Transport Airprox 
			  Category( 1)  2004  2005  2006  2007  2008 
			 A 1 1 0 0 0 
			 B 7 7 6 5 2 
			 C 67 78 68 60 58 
			 D 4 1 0 0 1 
			 Total 79 87 74 65 61 
		
	
	
		
			  General Aviation Airprox 
			  Category  2004  2005  2006  2007  2008 
			 A 13 16 10 8 8 
			 B 42 41 36 30 31 
			 C 71 75 57 65 55 
			 D 4 1 0 0 4 
			 Total 130 133 103 103 98 
			 (1 )There are four airprox categories: ARisk of Collision: An actual risk of collision existed BSafety not assured: The safety of the aircraft was compromised CNo risk of collision: No risk of collision existed DRisk not determined: Insufficient information was available to determine the risk involved, or inconclusive or conflicting evidence precluded such determination A 'risk-bearing' airprox is one that falls into category A or B.

Buses: Government Assistance

John Leech: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport if he will estimate the cost to the public purse of introducing and operating for a 12 month period a scrappage scheme for buses akin to that recently introduced in respect of cars.

Sadiq Khan: The cost of a scrappage scheme would vary depending on the design, for example what age of bus it would apply to and the size of the incentive, as well as the market response to the scheme. Rather than introduce a scrappage scheme, we have announced a fund to support the purchase of new low carbon buses. The Green Bus Fund will provide government funding of 30 million over the next two years and is expected to lead to the introduction and operation of several hundred new low carbon buses in England.
	As part of the assessment criteria for the Green Bus Fund, bidders will be given credit for any older buses they intend to replace with the new low carbon bus. This will therefore meet the objectives of a scrappage scheme with the added benefit that all the new buses will contribute towards reducing carbon dioxide emissions.

Cycling: Birmingham

Roger Godsiff: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport how much funding his Department has allocated to encourage bicycle usage in Birmingham, Sparkbrook and Small Heath constituency in each of the last three years.

Sadiq Khan: The four main streams of departmental funding to encourage cycling in England are local transport plan funding, cycle training grants, cycle city and town funding and links to school funding.
	 Local Transport Plan funding
	The Department allocates integrated transport block and highways maintenance funding to local transport authorities for general capital investment in transport. This funding is not ring-fenced and local authorities have discretion to spend their allocations in line with their priorities.
	In the last three years Birmingham received the following amounts of LTP capital funding:
	
		
			
			 2006-07 23,154,000 
			 2007-08 14,969,000 
			 2008-09 20,623,000 
			 2009-10 19,642,000 
		
	
	This information is not available at constituency level.
	 Cycle Training Grants
	We have awarded cycle training grants to local authorities since 2006-07 to encourage cycling to school. We also provide funding for training direct in schools via grants to the School Sports Partnerships.
	Birmingham City Council has received the following cycle training grants:
	
		
			
			 2007-08 17,600.00 
			 2008-09 40,000.00 
			 2009-10 99,840.00 
		
	
	Birmingham did not receive cycle training grant in 2006-07.
	 Links to schools
	Between April 2006 and March 2009 Sustrans (Sustainable Transport Charity) has on the Department's behalf made available 235,000 in grants for the West Midlands region to deliver a Links to Schools programme working with local authorities. Birmingham City Council was not amongst the grant receivers.
	The purpose of the funding is to encourage children to walk and cycle to school. Funding priorities are established by Sustrans. Sustrans are in the final stages of fully finalising their project list for 2009-10 and will be submitting a complete list to DFT shortly.

Cycling: Finance

Andrew Stunell: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport how much funding his Department has allocated to encourage bicycle usage in each local authority area in England and Wales in each of the last five years.

Sadiq Khan: The four main streams of departmental funding to encourage cycling in England are local transport plan funding, cycle training grants, Cycle City and Town funding and links to school funding. Funding for cycling in Wales is administered by the Welsh Assembly and not by the Department for Transport.
	 Local Transport Plan F unding
	The Department allocates integrated transport block and highways maintenance funding to local transport authorities for general capital investment in transport. This funding is not ring-fenced and local authorities have discretion to spend their allocations in line with their priorities.
	 Cycle T raining Grants
	I refer the hon. Member to my answer of 13 July 2009,  Official Report, column 89W.
	 Cycle City and Town Funding
	The Department for transport funds 18 Cycle Cities and Towns through Cycling England. The first phase of the Cycling Demonstration Towns programme, from 2005 to 2008, saw six towns across England receive European levels of funding to significantly increase their cycling levels. Aylesbury, Brighton and Hove, Darlington, Derby, Exeter and Lancaster with Morecambe collectively received over 7 million from Cycling England across three years, plus local match-funding, to deliver a range of measures designed to get more people cycling.
	In June 2008, Cycling England announced Greater Bristol as the England's first official Cycling City, together with a further 11 Cycling Towns across England. The new city and towns, together with the original six, will benefit from a share of 50 million of departmental funding (match funded by the local authority) to pioneer innovative ways to increase cycling in their areas.
	The following table shows the funding situation as agreed with Cycling England in May 2009.
	
		
			  City or town  Local authority  2005-08( 1)  2008-09  2009-10  2010-11  Total 
			 Aylesbury Buckinghamshire 765,000 460,000 300,000 300,000 1,825,000 
			 Blackpool Blackpool  400,000 1,220,000 1,220,000 2,840,000 
			 Brighton and Hove Brighton and Hove 1,389,500 435,000 635,000 535,000 2,994,500 
			 Cambridge Cambridgeshire  500,000 1,550,000 1,550,000 3,600,000 
			 Chester Cheshire  400,000 1,000,000 1,000,000 2,400,000 
			 Colchester Colchester  350,000 900,000 900,000 2,150,000 
			 Darlington Darlington 1,148,710 500,000 500,000 500,000 2,648,710 
			 Derby Derby 1,300,000 500,000 500,000 500,000 2,800,000 
			 Exeter Devon 1,559,500 751,000 750,500 760,500 3,821,500 
			 Greater Bristol Bristol City and South Gloucestershire  1,400,000 5,000,000 5,000,000 11,400,000 
			 Lancaster with Morecambe Lancashire 1,309,200 500,000 500,000 500,000 2,809,200 
			 Leighton-Linslade Central Bedfordshire  588,900 281,000 270,100 1,140,000 
			 Shrewsbury Shropshire  600,000 600,000 600,000 1,800,000 
			 Southend Southend  398,000 1,398,000 1,404,000 3,200,000 
			 Southport and Ainsdale Sefton Borough Council  300,000 750,000 750,000 1,800,000 
			 Stoke Stoke on Trent  .880,000 2,000,000 1,920,000 4,800,000 
			 Woking Surrey  364,000 728,000 728,000 1,820,000 
			 York York City Council  535,000 1,555,000 1,590,000 3,680,000 
			 Total  7,471,910 9,861,900 20,167,500 20,027,600 57,528,910 
			 (1 )1 November 2005 to 31 March 2008. 
		
	
	 Links to schools
	The Department provides funding to local authorities for the Links to Schools programme through our delivery agent Sustrans (Sustainable Transport Charity). The purpose of the funding is to encourage children to walk and cycle to school. Funding priorities are established by Sustrans. Sustrans are in the final stages of fully finalising their project list for 2009-10 and will be submitting a complete list to the Department shortly. A table showing the funding for 2005-06 to 2008-09 has been placed in the Libraries of the House.

Cycling: Hertfordshire

Michael Penning: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport 
	(1)  how much funding his Department has allocated to encourage bicycle usage in Hemel Hempstead constituency in each of the last three years;
	(2)  how much his Department allocated for cycle safety training in  (a) Hemel Hempstead constituency,  (b) Dacorum and  (c) Hertfordshire in each of the last five years.

Sadiq Khan: Department for Transport funding to encourage bicycle usage in Dacorum and Hemel Hempstead constituency is largely delivered through Hertfordshire county council. We do not allocate funding directly to Dacorum or Hemel Hempstead. The main three streams of departmental funding to encourage cycling are local transport plan funding, cycle training grants and links to school funding.
	 Local Transport Plan funding
	The Department allocates integrated transport block and highways maintenance funding to local transport authorities for general capital investment in transport. This funding is not ring-fenced and local authorities have discretion to spend their allocations in line with their priorities. Local Transport Plan funding for Hertfordshire is shown in the table:
	
		
			  Hertfordshire 
			  000 
			   Integrated Transport  Formulaic Maintenance  Other LTP  Total LTP funding 
			 2009-10 2,245 9,698 100 12,043 
			 2008-09 11,512 11,151 394 23,057 
			 2007-08 11,626 11,263  22,889 
		
	
	 Cycle training grants
	DFT cycle training grants are only available for National Standard training, delivered in England as Bikeability training. Bikeability training promotes safe cycling for children. Cycle training funding for Hertfordshire for the last three years is shown in the table:
	
		
			  Hertfordshire 
			   Grant () 
			 2007-08 59,500 
			 2008-09 65,000 
			 2009-10 70,000 
		
	
	This is in addition to any training funded by Hertfordshire county council.
	 Links to Schools and Cycle Parking
	The Department also provides funding to local authorities for the Links to Schools programme through our delivery agent Sustrans (Sustainable Transport Charity). The purpose of the links is to encourage children to use sustainable modes (walking and cycling) on their way to and from school by creating safer and more convenient routes.
	The following table shows departmental funding allocated to links to schools. The funding for 2007-08 was for links to a school in Hertford. With the contribution of the local authority, the total expenditure was 100,000:
	
		
			  Hertfordshire 
			   Grant () 
			 2005-06 0 
			 2006-07 0 
			 2007-08 32,436 
			 2008-09 0

Departmental Consultants

Kelvin Hopkins: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport in which of his Department's agencies consultants are acting as interim project managers.

Chris Mole: The information requested can be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Departmental Electronic Equipment

Justine Greening: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport how many  (a) mobile telephones,  (b) Blackberrys and  (c) laptop computers have been issued to staff of his Department in each of the last five years; and how many of these were issued to (i) new staff and (ii) existing staff following the (A) loss or (B) theft of a previous device.

Chris Mole: The following tables show the known details for DfT (Central) and its agenciesin some cases, certain individual figures are unavailable, or available only at disproportionate cost. We are unable to split between existing and new staff. Where it is unclear whether original items are lost or stolen, they are shown as lost.
	The Department for Transport is very conscious of its data security responsibilities and ensures that all mobile data units are properly encrypted.
	
		
			  DfT (Central)  Mobiles issued( 1)  Blackberrys issued  Laptops issued  Mobiles replaced after loss or theft  BlackBerrys replaced after loss or theft (cannot differentiate)  Laptops replaced after loss or theft 
			 2004-05 n/a 0 262 n/a 0 3 
			 2005-06 n/a 0 349 n/a 0 3 
			 2006-07 (1)539 185 195 n/a 0 3 
			 2007-08 (1)680 94 202 n/a 4 8 
			 2008-09 (1)1,150 136 296 n/a 14 5 
			 (1) Detailed records were not kept of the individual issue of new mobiles in DfT (Central)the figures marked with an asterisk are the estimated total numbers held at the mid point of the year. 
		
	
	
		
			   Mobiles issued (excluding Blackberry)  Blackberrys issued  Laptops issued  Mobiles replaced after loss or theft  BlackBerrys replaced after los or theft  Laptops replaced after loss or theft 
			 2004-05 1,118 10 1,593 (1)24 0 (2)8 
			 (2)8   
			 2005-06 1,484 40 1,637 (1)15 0 (1)4 
			 (2)5  (2)2 
			 2006-07 1,611 170 1,457 (1)17 (2)1 (1)4 
			 (2)6  (2)11 
			 2007-08 1,838 305 2,170 (1)3 (1)1 (1)3 
			 (2)11  (2)9 
			 2008-09 1,746 327 722 (1)6 0 (1)2 
			 (2)6  (2)9 
			 (1 )Lost. (2 )Stolen.

Departmental Recruitment

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what data his Department holds on the level of diversity in its recruitment of employees in each of the last three years.

Chris Mole: The Department for Transport holds employee diversity data in line with the statutory monitoring requirements for public bodies set out in the Race Relations Act. This includes recruitment.
	The Department additionally maintains this information by gender and disability. The Department also holds diversity data by age, sexual orientation, religion and belief, and by working pattern.
	This information is published on the websites of the central Department and on those of the Department's agencies. However, information for all of the last three years is not available for all parts of the Department.

Departmental Recycling

Stewart Hosie: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what proportion of his Department's waste was recycled in the latest period for which figures are available.

Chris Mole: For the latest period, financial year 2008-09, the Department for Transport, including its Executive agencies, recycled 47 per cent. of its waste arisings.

Departmental Training

John Mason: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport how many external training courses were attended by staff of his Department in the last 12 months; and what the cost was of each course.

Chris Mole: The following table lists the number of external training courses attended by staff in the Department for Transport (DfT) where information is available, however it has not been possible to provide costs for each course:
	
		
			  Agency  Number of training courses  Total cost () 
			 Driving Standards Agency 120 184,415 
			 Driver Vehicle Licensing Agency 112 176,149 
			 Vehicle and Operator Services Agency 132 113,186 
			 Government Car and Despatch Agency 8 43,458 
			 Vehicle Certification Agency (1) 264,536 
			 (1) Figure not available. 
		
	
	This information is not held centrally by the Central DfT, Highways Agency, and the Maritime and Coastguard Agency and would incur disproportionate costs to obtain this.

Departmental Travel

Justine Greening: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport how much his Department spent on  (a) train travel,  (b) air travel and  (c) restaurant meals for (i) Ministers and (ii) staff in his Department in each of the last five years.

Chris Mole: The Department for Transport could provide this information only at disproportionate cost.
	Travel by Ministers and civil servants is undertaken in accordance with the Ministerial Code and the Civil Service Management Code respectively, and all spending on official entertainment is made in accordance with the principles set out in Managing Public Money.
	The Cabinet Office publishes an annual list of overseas travel over 500 undertaken by Ministers. The 2008-09 list was published on 16 July and can be viewed at:
	http://www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/propriety and ethics/ministers/travel_gifts.aspx
	The Department for Transport will shortly be publishing details of expenses and hospitality received by senior officials on a quarterly basis.

Electric Vehicles

Fraser Kemp: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what plans he has for the establishment of recharging points for electric and hybrid plug-in vehicles.

Sadiq Khan: The Government have made available up to 30 million to support the roll out of charging infrastructure for electric vehicles in a small number of lead cities and regions in the UK. This scheme, Plugged In Places, is due to be launched later this year. In addition, the Alternative Fuels Infrastructure Grant Scheme supports smaller proposals in the UK, with an overall budget of 1 million until the end of 2010.
	In addition, a large number of people, who have off-street parking or garages, will be able to charge their electric vehicles at home and we expect a significant proportion of charging points to be installed by businesses and developers to supplement publicly supported infrastructure.

Electric Vehicles

Fraser Kemp: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport how many charging points for plug-in and electric and hybrid vehicles he expects to be in use in each year from 2010 to 2015.

Sadiq Khan: A forecast has not been made, at this time, of the total number of recharging points likely to be in use between the years 2010 and 2015. A large number of people already have access to off-street parking or garages and will be able to charge their electric vehicles at home and we would expect a significant proportion of new charging points to be installed by businesses and developers during these years.
	In addition, the Government are making available up to 30 million, through the Plugged in Places scheme, to support a small number of lead cities and regions roll out electric vehicle charging infrastructure. Bids for this funding are due to be received next year, so it is not yet possible to estimate how many charging points it will deliver. The smaller Alternative Fuels Infrastructure Grant Programme has delivered 72 charging points to date, with further rounds of funding in 2010-11 and 2011-12.

M25: Kent

Norman Baker: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what recent consideration he has given to the construction of east-facing slip roads at junction 5 on the M25; what recent estimate he has made of the cost of the construction of such slip roads; and if he will make a statement.

Chris Mole: The Department for Transport set out its investment programme for Highways Agency national roads until 2014 in Britain's Transport Infrastructure: Motorways and Trunk Roads (January 2009).
	Proposals for improvements to Junction 5 of the M25 were not prioritised for implementation and were remitted to our longer-term transport planning process to establish the spending priorities for transport across modes after 2014.
	As part of that process, we have assessed the scale of future challenges facing our national transport networks. This concluded that the challenges faced at Junction 5 of the M25 are not of a sufficiently high strategic national priority to be considered further in the current study work to 2014.
	The provisional estimated cost of construction of east facing slip roads at M25 junction 5, based on the design developed in 2004, is 77 million (at 2008 prices). However, in the absence of further detailed engineering assessments of the proposal, this cost estimate should be treated as indicative only.

Motor Vehicles: Carbon Emissions

Norman Baker: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport how many miles less polluting heavy goods vehicles and Euro emissions standards  (a) 0,  (b) I,  (c) II,  (d) III,  (e) IV and  (f) V vehicles travelled in the UK in 2008.

Sadiq Khan: The Department for Transport does not hold these data. However, we have the following estimates on the proportion of the heavy goods vehicle fleet that met each Euro Standard in 2008. This was provided as part of a research project conducted by Transport Research Laboratory for the Department, to provide updated input to UK air quality emissions inventory modelling:
	
		
			  Percentage of the fleet at each Euro Standard (2008) 
			  Percentage 
			   Pre Euro  Euro I  Euro II  Euro III  Euro IV  Euro  V 
			 Rigids  2.94 20.99 48.70 27.36  
			 Arties  1.71 13.94 52.45 31.90  
		
	
	The UK heavy-duty vehicle fleet, in 2008, consisted of 316,800 rigid vehicles and 119,500 articulated vehicles. The average annual distance travelled was 28,500 miles for rigid vehicles, and 73,000 miles for articulated vehicles. Within these averages, however, data from road freight surveys suggest there is significant variation with vehicle age, with newer vehicles in general having higher annual mileages than older ones. Consequently the contribution of vehicles at lower Euro standards to total mileage will be lower than the fleet proportions alone would suggest.
	In addition to the Euro standards, EU emissions directives also include a voluntary Environmentally Enhanced Vehicle standard, which in fact is very similar to the Euro V standard. We are unable to provide specific data relating to vehicles in this emissions class, but we believe that they form only a very small proportion of the vehicle fleet.

Motor Vehicles: Safety Belts

David Amess: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport 
	(1)  what recent discussions he has had with the motor industry on the installation of a seat belt reminder system in all new motor vehicles sold; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what recent discussions he has had with the European Commission on the introduction of seat belt reminders in new vehicles; and if he will make a statement.

Paul Clark: The motor industry was partner to detailed negotiations that led to requirements within regulations made under the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe for seat belt reminders to be fitted to the driver's seat in passenger cars. The European Commission has brought forward proposals to adopt these requirements into Community law as part of their regulatory simplification process and the Department for Transport will be meeting with Commission officials later this month.

Motor Vehicles: Safety Belts

David Amess: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport when his Department last undertook a review of the evidence relating to the effectiveness of seat belts in reducing deaths and injury that drew on  (a) UK and  (b) international research; and if he will make a statement.

Paul Clark: The most recent report the Department has produced on the effectiveness of wearing seat belts was published in November 2008, Road Safety Research Report 98Strapping Yarns: Why People Do and Do Not Wear Seat Belts.
	This is available from:
	http://www.dft.gov.uk/pgr/roadsafety/research/rsrr/theme5/reportno98.pdf

Motor Vehicles: Testing

Robert Goodwill: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what recent assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the MOT test in identifying vehicles which may be dangerous due to blacking out or tinting of windows.

Paul Clark: The MOT test does not include a check of the level of light transmittance through tinted vehicle windows. To include this item in the MOT test would require all 19,000 MOT test stations to incur expenditure on special test equipment. This could involve a cost of around 10 million and there would be additional costs associated with calibrating and maintaining the equipment. Given that relatively few vehicles appear to have excessively tinted front windows we consider that the issue is best addressed through enforcement at the roadside.

National Express East Coast

Tom Harris: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what estimate he has made of the cost of refranchising the East Coast Mainline railway service.

Chris Mole: Should National Express relinquish the franchise prior to the end of its full term, the costs of re-franchising are currently estimated to be 1.2 million.
	These costs will be recoverable from a performance bond that will fall due under the current franchise agreement.

National Express East Coast

Theresa Villiers: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport pursuant to the answer of 20 July 2009,  Official Report, column 757W, on National Express East Coast, from which budgets the budget cover is drawn.

Chris Mole: Budget cover for the passenger railway is one of several programmes included in section MRailways of the Department for Transport's Parliamentary Supply Estimates, which can be found at:
	http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/d/13403_me07_dft_1st.pdf

Parking: Disabled

Graham Brady: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport with reference to his Department's response to the independent strategic review into possible extensions to the Blue Badge scheme  (a) what progress has been made in implementing a non-Blue Badge option to allow people with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) immediate access to parking facilities without incurring penalties and  (b) what discussions he has had with the Minister for Disabled People on parking provision for people with IBD.

Sadiq Khan: The information is as follows:
	 (a) The Department for Transport's response to the independent strategic review of the Blue Badge scheme set out its preliminary views and formed part of the consultation package on the Comprehensive Blue Badge (Disabled Parking) Reform Strategy (England). The final Strategy, which was published in October 2008, sets out our priorities for action on improving the scheme. This does not include any commitments in respect of people who do not qualify for the scheme, such as those people with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). In terms of improving the provision of public toilets, you will be aware of the Government's
	Strategic Guide Improving Public Access to Better Quality Toilets which sets out how central Government, working in partnership with local authorities, the private sector, and communities, can promote better public access to toilets.
	 (b) None.

Public Transport: Concessions

David Crausby: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport how many pensioners have  (a) applied for and  (b) received free (i) bus and (ii) rail passes in (A) Bolton and (B) Greater Manchester since the scheme was introduced.

Sadiq Khan: Bolton is part of the Greater Manchester Passenger Transport Executive (GMPTE), which is responsible for administering concessionary travel, including the issuing of passes, in the Greater Manchester area. The Department for Transport does not maintain records of how many pensioners have applied for passes or how many passes individual authorities have issued.
	The last information held by the Department was that as of 4 March 2009, the GMPTE scheme had issued 453,000 concessionary passes. This includes passes issued to disabled people as well as those aged 60 and over.
	The concessionary pass is valid for travel on local buses anywhere in England and in Greater Manchester the same pass can also be used on local trains and trams. This is not the case in all local authorities but there is a separate national scheme that gives older people discounted travel on railthe Senior Railcard, which costs 26 per year and gives people aged 60 and over one-third off rail travel across the UK.

Railways

Ian Stewart: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what recent assessment he has made of progress in the implementation of initiatives to reduce the cost base of the rail network in the north in respect of  (a) early electrification,  (b) the tram-train trial and  (c) measures to replace older diesel rolling stock.

Chris Mole: On 23 July the Government announced a major 1.1 billion programme of rail electrification for the Great Western Main Line from London to Swansea and the line between Liverpool and Manchester via Newton-le-Willows.
	Liverpool-Manchester electrification will enable the diesel trains currently operating there to be transferred onto other routes, delivering much needed additional capacity. Many services will be able to operate as six-carriage trains instead of three-carriage trains today. It will also provide an electrified link to the West Coast Main Line, allowing the operation of electric train services from Manchester to Scotland. As a result, the previously planned procurement by the Government of new diesel trains has now been superseded. The Government will publish a new rolling stock plan this autumn, taking account of these changed circumstances.
	On 15 September 2009, we announced that the Yorkshire Tram Train Trail was being re-phased with a view to the early introduction of trams between Rotherham and Sheffield using both the Sheffield Supertram Network and Network Rail infrastructure. This project involves South Yorkshire PTE, Network Rail, Northern Trains and the Department for Transport and all partners are working hard to get an early introduction of through trams along the route to demonstrate the benefits of combining heavy and light rail infrastructure.

Railways: Electrification

Theresa Villiers: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport 
	(1)  pursuant to page 17 of Building Britain's future, when he expects to bring forward plans for rail electrification;
	(2)  pursuant to the Prime Minister's Oral Statement of 29 June 2009,  Official Report, column 22, on Building Britain's future, when he intends to set out his plans to advance the electrification of transport.

Chris Mole: On 23 July the Government announced the electrification of the Great Western Main Line between London and Swansea, and of the line between Liverpool and Manchester via Newton-le-Willows. Full details are contained in the document Britain's Transport Infrastructure: Rail Electrification, available online at:
	http://www.dft.gov.uk/pgr/rail/pi/
	Copies have been placed in the Library of the House.

Railways: Franchises

Tom Harris: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport which existing rail franchises he expects to return a net premium to his Department by the end of the franchise period, taking into account all anticipated revenue support payments.

Chris Mole: The existing rail franchises that are contracted to return a premium to the Department for Transport were set out in my answer of 20 July 2009,  Official Report, column 758W. The Department's forecasts of any additional receipts or payments under the revenue sharing arrangements in those franchises are commercially confidential.

Railways: Freight

Ben Wallace: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport how much funding his Department has allocated to encouraging use of railways to carry freight in 2009-10.

Paul Clark: The Department for Transport provides two types of grants to encourage modal shift from road to rail and water:
	Freight Facilities Grant (FFG) which helps to offset the capital costs of rail or water freight handling facilities.
	Rail Environmental Benefit Procurement Scheme (REPS) which assists companies with the operating costs associated with running rail freight transport instead of road where rail is more expensive than road.
	Funding for both is provided by the multi-modal Sustainable Distribution Fund (SDF). The total SDF budget for 2009-10 is 30.4 million, of which 7 million is capital funding.
	In addition to grants, the Government have in the last two years announced record levels of rail freight investment to support continued growth including 200 million towards the development of a Strategic Rail Freight Network and over 200 million of funding towards the provision of infrastructure enhancement for freight through the Productivity Transport Innovation Fund.

Railways: Greater Manchester

Ian Stewart: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport for what reasons services on some routes into Greater Manchester are to be withdrawn; and if he will make a statement.

Chris Mole: The Department for Transport is not aware of any plans to withdraw rail services on any routes into Greater Manchester.
	With effect from 3 October 2009, services were withdrawn on the Oldham Loop route within Greater Manchester in order to facilitate the conversion of the route to Metrolink tram operation, due to commence in October 2011. The conversion represents a multi-party investment by local and national stakeholders of around 540 million, of which 240 million is being provided by central Government.

Robin Hood Airport Doncaster Sheffield

Eric Illsley: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport whether he has plans to improve road links to the Robin Hood Airport in Doncaster.

Sadiq Khan: The Yorkshire and Humber Region's advice on funding priorities, submitted in February included a scheme, promoted by Doncaster Metropolitan borough council, to improve road links to the Robin Hood airport in Doncaster.
	The Department for Transport responded to the advice on 22 July 2009. It is now for Doncaster to submit a major scheme business case for the scheme to the Department at the appropriate time.

Rolling Stock

Jim Dobbin: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport by what date he expects the 1,300 additional rail carriages announced in the 2007 Rail White Paper to be in operation.

Chris Mole: On 23 July the Government announced a major 1.1 billion programme of rail electrification. The Great Western Main Line between London and Swansea will be electrified by 2017, and the line between Liverpool and Manchester via Newton-le-Willow will be electrified by 2013.
	This programme of electrification means that there will now be far less need for diesel trains and a greater requirement for electric trains. The Government will publish a new rolling stock plan this autumn, taking account of these changes circumstances and setting out a revised strategy.

Rolling Stock: Expenditure

Jim Dobbin: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport how much money has been spent on new rolling stock in each of the last five years; and how much money has been spent on rolling stock for  (a) Northern Rail and  (b) each of the commuter rail operators serving London and the South East.

Chris Mole: The following table sets out the numbers and approximate value of the rolling stock for commuter operators serving London and the south-east.
	
		
			  Train operator  Class  Ordered  Number of vehicles  Approximate value  ( million) 
			 Chiltern Railway 168/2 May 2005 6 7.5 
			 SET 395 June 2005 174 245 
			 South West Trains 450 February 2006 68 75 
			 TfL 378 August 2006 152 180 
			 Southern 377/5 May 2007 48 60 
			 London Midland 350/2 August 2007 148 190 
			 London Midland 139 November 2007 2 0.8 
			 TfL 378 November 2007 36 45 
			 London Midland 172 December 2007 69 90 
			 Chiltern Railway 172 January 2008 8 11 
			 TfL 172 January 2008 16 23 
			 Southern 377/5 March 2008 44 55 
			 TfL 378 April 2008 28 34 
			 NXEA 379 April 2009 120 168 
		
	
	There has been no new rolling stock procured by Northern Rail in the last five years, however Trans Pennine Express introduced a new fleet of class 185 diesel multiple units which entered service in 2005-06.
	
		
			  Train operator  Class  Ordered  Number of vehicles  Approximate value  ( million) 
			 TPE 185 September 2003 153 250

Transport Innovation Fund

Theresa Villiers: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport pursuant to his Department's publication, Supporting the Development of TIF packages, published on 4 March 2009, how much funding his Department plans to allocate to the Transport Innovation Fund in each year to 2018-19.

Sadiq Khan: The Department for Transport announced on 4 March 2008 revised arrangements to support the development of congestion Transport Innovation Fund packages by local authorities who were considering bidding for funding to implement a package of measures to tackle congestion through demand management and investment in public transport in their area. The announcement noted our willingness to provide up to 200 million a year for such schemes up to 2018-19. Allocations would, however, depend on the scale and quality of proposals received. The Department's plans for spending beyond 2010-11 will be set as part of the usual cross departmental spending review process.

Transport: Infrastructure

Graham Stuart: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport which major transport infrastructure projects in each  (a) Government region and  (b) local authority area have been approved by his Department in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement.

Sadiq Khan: I have placed tables in the Library of the House which provides information on major transport infrastructure projects, costing over 5 million, in each  (a) Government region and  (b) local authority area where applicable that have been approved by the Department for Transport in each of the last five years.

Average Earnings

Shailesh Vara: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what the rate of average earnings growth was in  (a) North West Cambridgeshire constituency,  (b) each local authority area in the East of England and  (c) England in each of the last 10 years.

Angela Smith: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.
	 Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated July 2009:
	As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question asking what the rate of average earnings growth was in (a) North West Cambridgeshire constituency, (b) each local authority area in the East of England and (c) England in each of the last 10 years. (289299)
	ONS's primary indicator of average earnings growth is the Average Earnings Index. As this does not produce regional estimates, the Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings has been used (ASHE). The ASHE, carried out in April each year, is the most comprehensive source of information on the levels of earnings in the United Kingdom. It is a sample of all employees who are members of pay-as-you-earn (PA YE) schemes.
	The sample sizes for more detailed geographies can be small and this affects the quality of the resulting estimates, which are subject to a margin of uncertainty.
	I attach a table showing the annual percentage change in median gross weekly earnings for the specified geographies for full-time and part-time employees in each year since 1998.
	
		
			  Annual percentage change of median gross weekly payfor full-time employee jobs( a) 
			   1998  1999  2000  2001  2002  2003  2004  2005  2006  2007  2008 
			 England 4.4 2.5 4.8 4.7 3.9 3.5 4.7 2.6 3.7 3.1 4.2 
			 
			 North West Cambridgeshire 5.5 4.1 -2.1 10.7 10.0 -10.5 6.5 5.3 -1.6 5.4 4.1 
			 
			 East of England 4.3 3.3 2.8 5.9 3.6 3.8 3.9 2.1 3.7 2.2 3.9 
			 Luton UA 2.4 5.8 -9.3 3.2 10.8 0.2 -0.5 15.2 0.8 5.1 2.7 
			 Peterborough UA 7.5 1.3 -1.2 7.1 6.7 3.0 5.6 2.0 6.2 4.5 2.1 
			 Southend-on-Sea UA -2.9 8.4 -1.8 4.9 12.4 -8.6 3.1 2.1 10.2 -2.6 8.8 
			 Thurrock UA -1.2 7.8 1.3 1.5 3.5 3.1 9.9 -3.3 6.8 -2.0 6.5 
			 Mid Bedfordshire 0.1 3.3 4.3 5.9 6.3 13.1 -4.9 -0.6 5.1 6.4 -5.6 
			 North Bedfordshire 6.6 0.7 6.8 -3.1 10.8 1.7 2.5 6.7 4.4 -1.6 6.0 
			 South Bedfordshire 5.7 0.4 9.1 2.1 4.9 -2.1 1.8 0.2 12.1 -3.7 0.9 
			 Cambridge -4.4 5.9 7.4 6.8 0.3 6.5 8.1 -0.3 0.9 3.7 4.7 
			 East Cambridgeshire -13.0 -2.1 22.3 6.1 6.0 16.0 0.5 -1.3 0.1 12.4 -8.3 
			 Fenland 7.6 4.6 -3.2 -5.0 -0.8 13.5 7.9 0.2 5.6 2.0 -4.3 
			 Huntingdonshire 5.6 4.5 3.1 7.6 -1.0 8.4 5.5 3.1 -3.7 6.4 2.7 
			 South Cambridgeshire 4.1 6.5 0.0 10.3 6.1 5.8 10.4 -4.1 10.5 -2.6 7.4 
			 Basildon 2.1 6.9 13.5 5.6 -11.2 15.1 -1.3 2.4 1.6 6.0 -6.3 
			 Braintree 2.3 5.1 6.5 3.5 11.8 0.2 7.9 15.1 -4.9 5.4 -5.6 
			 Brentwood 9.4 8.0 -8.2 13.2 24.0 1.2 2.5 0.5 1.7 -2.2 9.5 
			 Castle Point 23.7 -11.5 6.8 9.1 -19.9 17.0 -0.8 13.2 6.2 -1.0 13.0 
			 Chelmsford 1.0 1.7 10.7 -2.7 8.2 -3.2 0.9 12.1 -2.7 6.1 3.6 
			 Colchester 5.9 1.4 7.4 7.7 -2.5 3.8 7.3 5.3 4.6 -1.5 1.0 
			 Epping Forest 11.2 4.2 6.5 1.6 -1.5 4.4 13.5 -0.1 6.5 4.4 9.1 
			 Harlow -4.5 7.0 6.3 6.8 -3.0 9.1 0.1 2.3 3.7 24.8 3.9 
			 Maldon 1.8 10.0 2.2 25.5 -8.6 3.7 5.3 -8.9 -0.7 8.0 -6.2 
			 Rochford 1.3 11.3 2.4 2.6 -1.0 6.8 1.6 3.5 10.5 3.3 -2.3 
			 Tendring 6.4 2.6 -6.6 -1.4 16.7 13.9 -1.4 -1.0 0.1 -5.5 6.8 
			 Uttlesford 8.3 11.2 -10.7 19.5 -4.5 9.5 -4.1 9.0 1.9 -0.5 7.6 
			 Broxbourne -4.5 4.5 0.3 1.9 1.3 12.4 1.8 5.6 1.3 -2.3 12.1 
			 Dacorum 5.4 0.0 5.7 12.2 5.3 1.7 -0.1 0.8 4.9 7.3 -2.1 
			 East Hertfordshire 6.8 3.6 5.4 13.7 3.0 1.4 3.8 2.3 -3.6 0.0 4.1 
			 Hertsmere 9.6 3.9 0.3 1.5 9.8 -9.6 18.5 -9.0 4.5 9.3 -0.8 
			 North Hertfordshire 11.2 0.0 3.7 8.9 2.1 5.8 5.0 1.0 1.7 3.8 6.2 
			 St. Albans 2.2 8.3 -1.4 6.7 9.6 2.8 2.1 0.4 7.1 -2.5 8.0 
			 Stevenage 22.3 -0.8 -8.0 10.0 0.1 18.0 -7.8 8.0 10.8 -6.8 1.2 
			 Three Rivers 24.4 2.0 -5.6 14.7 8.2 9.2 0.9 9.5 3.6 -2.8 -7.7 
			 Watford 3.4 0.2 5.3 2.4 -4.1 3.7 5.1 10.8 -0.9 -9.4 18.6 
			 Welwyn Hatfield 9.3 1.5 7.8 5.5 7.3 3.2 7.9 9.3 -7.6 8.1 2.0 
			 Breckland 3.9 4.1 6.8 2.1 -0.3 0.8 10.4 6.8 -10.9 8.8 6.2 
			 Broadland 7.6 8.4 -2.8 7.8 -0.2 11.5 3.9 -7.9 8.7 1.6 7.0 
			 Great Yarmouth 2.1 14.9 -3.0 5.8 5.6 2.1 2.5 6.7 1.6 9.9 0.4 
			 King's Lynn and West Norfolk -2.8 6.1 3.8 4.8 0.1 1.7 -1.2 5.8 4.2 9.1 4.8 
			 North Norfolk 6.5 -3.7 5.0 9.9 9.5 7.5 -6.6 -2.8 -3.1 5.8 1.1 
			 Norwich 4.5 3.0 4.4 0.8 1.1 2.6 1.8 4.8 8.6 0.1 -0.5 
			 South Norfolk 2.3 19.6 9.0 -0.8 0.4 -1.3 10.6 11.1 -7.2 -2.6 11.8 
			 Babergh 6.0 2.7 3.3 5.2 8.0 -1.6 -0.9 2.1 4.7 9.4 -3.0 
			 Forest Heath 9.7 -0.3 14.3 6.0 0.8 11.9 5.0 -12.3 1.9 8.8 7.0 
			 Ipswich 2.1 -0.2 11.4 6.7 0.2 2.1 5.2 -0.4 15.5 1.2 11.4 
			 Mid Suffolk 5.3 3.1 -14.3 29.4 -1.5 8.5 2.0 -1.3 6.7 -0.6 5.2 
			 St. Edmundsbury 1.1 -0.8 7.0 9.5 -3.4 4.7 3.1 8.4 1.7 -0.7 8.9 
			 Suffolk Coastal 3.4 0.1 2.3 5.9 8.2 5.6 2.0 0.6 6.7 6.2 2.3 
			 Waveney -8.5 12.7 5.2 5.4 1.9 9.3 1.9 -0.7 1.9 4.0 7.4 
		
	
	
		
			  Annual percentage change of median gross weekly payfor part-time employee jobs( 1) 
			   1998  1999  2000  2001  2002  2003  2004  2005  2006  2007  2008 
			 England 4.1 5.1 3.9 3.5 5.2 6.2 6.6 1.4 4.1 4.2 1.7 
			 
			 North West Cambridgeshire x x x 31.2 x x 9.1 -8.0 4.4 -0.6 26.8 
			 
			 East of England 4.3 7.3 2.8 5.6 3.0 3.8 9.4 -1.0 7.2 1.8 3.0 
			 Luton UA -4.2 22.3 -10.9 10.9 7.5 -1.5 2.8 -2.6 15.1 -0.5 -13.3 
			 Peterborough UA 7.1 16.7 -6.9 4.7 -3.1 14.1 7.7 5.3 -4.2 9.0 9.2 
			 Southend-on-Sea UA -4.5 10.8 2.5 7.7 -1.6 -3.7 -1.4 5.8 13.0 -1.1 1.3 
			 Thurrock UA x x 19.1 -6.6 22.4 -13.8 9.5 1.1 4.2 11.2 6.5 
			 Mid Bedfordshire x x x x x x x 8.0 -3.1 5.2 0.9 
			 North Bedfordshire 5.0 3.6 10.3 14.0 -5.9 17.1 5.1 x -7.5 24.6 8.5 
			 South Bedfordshire x x x x x x x x x x x 
			 Cambridge 0.1 9.4 -10.5 25.0 7.7 8.7 18.0 -10.8 -1.4 10.2 -0.8 
			 East Cambridgeshire x x x x x x x x x x x 
			 Fenland x x x 2.7 -1.9 31.7 -1.9 -7.4 -7.5 13.4 2.2 
			 Huntingdonshire 21.8 -11.9 -2.5 6.6 3.6 2.7 23.4 -12.9 3.6 -3.1 27.8 
			 South Cambridgeshire 17.9 -11.5 7.0 6.5 -6.5 1.3 24.1 4.5 -12.4 10.2 -1.6 
			 Basildon 15.6 21.1 13.0 7.2 -14.7 12.9 1.0 -4.6 8.8 2.9 6.0 
			 Braintree -16.8 3.0 16.5 6.7 4.0 32.1 1.3 -2.3 -5.8 -17.5 29.5 
			 Brentwood x x x x x x x x x x x 
			 Castle Point x x x x x 14.2 16.9 x x x x 
			 Chelmsford 17.3 12.1 10.3 -4.4 -10.4 11.9 17.6 1.8 11.9 -0.2 -5.1 
			 Colchester -7.6 -1.4 9.8 8.2 0.8 6.5 -3.3 -3.1 7.3 3.0 0.5 
			 Epping Forest x x x x x x 2.6 x x 21.3 14.3 
			 Harlow x 7.9 -3.4 x x x x x x -1.1 -14.3 
			 Maldon x x x x x x x x x x x 
			 Rochford x x x x x x x x x x x 
			 Tendring x x x x x 5.7 34.0 x x 26.9 7.4 
			 Uttlesford x x x x x x x x x x x 
			 Broxbourne -4.4 5.7 x x x -0.1 x x 3.2 -6.6 5.3 
			 Dacorum 23.7 -0.9 10.7 2.1 6.9 6.1 1.4 -12.6 18.0 0.8 -7.7 
			 East Hertfordshire 30.9 -8.7 -3.1 19.1 -1.4 1.0 5.8 -1.3 13.6 -6.2 15.3 
			 Hertsmere x x x x x -1.5 x x 17.2 -7.4 -2.7 
			 North Hertfordshire 6.9 11.8 x x 15.7 -5.8 x -6.4 15.5 0.5 -10.4 
			 St. Albans 10.2 x x x x 21.5 -9.7 0.4 18.6 -5.2 -3.8 
			 Stevenage x 0.3 5.2 -8.2 x x 13.3 3.7 8.3 -10.2 -14.8 
			 Three Rivers x x x x x x x x x x x 
			 Watford x x -3.5 -6.3 12.9 -2.4 17.5 -3.8 18.3 -3.8 32.0 
			 Welwyn Hatfield 8.5 26.9 5.0 -7.1 5.2 x x x 5.0 7.0 -13.6 
			 Breckland x -18.0 28.7 6.0 7.4 5.3 7.7 -7.5 13.8 4.8 -2.2 
			 Broadland x x -22.8 18.0 1.2 14.3 15.4 -5.4 5.5 -1.5 7.5 
			 Great Yarmouth -24.3 15.7 2.3 23.3 4.4 14.3 -3.8 7.5 9.5 -15.9 29.5 
			 King's Lynn and West Norfolk x 13.2 x x x 16.4 1.5 -0.5 16.3 -2.5 10.0 
			 North Norfolk x x x x x 22.8 10.5 -21.6 6.3 x x 
			 Norwich -13.7 20.2 15.0 13.2 -2.8 -12.2 14.5 -7.9 -5.4 0.3 7.7 
			 South Norfolk x x 9.8 -2.7 17.1 11.3 4.3 -0.4 13.9 3.6 x 
			 Babergh 21.2 x x x -12.2 1.7 2.6 8.7 4.8 1.5 x 
			 Forest Heath x x x x x x x x x x 24.7 
			 Ipswich 6.6 -5.4 16.8 -6.4 10.0 -12.1 9.3 22.5 13.4 -2.0 5.4 
			 Mid Suffolk x x x x x x x x x 36.3 1.7 
			 St. Edmundsbury x x x -6.8 9.5 12.6 x x -16.6 24.0 9.0 
			 Suffolk Coastal x x x x 18.4 3.7 19.2 -7.4 17.7 15.0 -16.4 
			 Waveney x x -8.3 -2.0 4.1 18.8 3.7 2.5 6.2 -6.0 1.2 
			 (a) Full-time employees on adult rates whose pay for the survey pay-period was not affected by absence. (x) Growth rate not shown due to unreliable levels of earnings estimates over the two years, either in one of the years or in both.  Source: Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, Office for National Statistics. 1998-2008

Building Britain's Future

Greg Hands: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many staff maintain the Building Britain's Future  (a) website,  (b) Twitter feed,  (c) blog and  (d) video feeds.

Tessa Jowell: The Building Britain's Future website is maintained by one online editor who is responsible for  (a) website,  (b) twitter feed and  (c) blog. Occasionally and infrequently this individual requires assistance in delivering  (d) the video feeds. In these instances additional support is provided by one cameraman and two website development specialists. All of these staff are in-house Cabinet Office employees.

Building Britain's Future

Grant Shapps: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how much the Central Office of Information has spent on acquiring online advertising space for the Building Britain's Future programme.

Angela Smith: I have asked the chief executive of the Central Office of Information to write to the hon. Member.
	 Letter from Mark Lund, dated 1 October 2009:
	As Chief Executive of the Central Office of Information (COI), I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question on how much the Central Office of Information has spent on acquiring online advertising space for the Building Britain's Future programme to date (285142).
	The final amount spent on this programme was 190.03.

Capacitybuilders

Shailesh Vara: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what recent steps her Department has taken to increase participation rates in the  (a) Capacity and  (b) Future Builders scheme among charitable organisations in the East of England.

Angela Smith: Capacitybuilders programmes in the East of England are promoted through events, e-bulletins and local consortia of support providers, such as councils for Voluntary Service. All consortia funded by Capacitybuilders in the region are now assessed as fit for purpose, which includes engaging with frontline groups and marginalised communities. Capacitybuilders Regional Managers maintain local contacts. A network of five local delivery agencies promoted the Modernisation Fund grants stream through 11 events in the region, newsletters and networks.
	Futurebuilders England (FBE) has taken steps to promote the Futurebuilders Fund in the East of England, including at events in Huntingdon and Clacton. Since the start of July, FBE has allocated a dedicated Business Development Officer to engage with the sector within the East of England region.
	Capacitybuilders and FBE together are delivering the new 16.5 million Modernisation Fund. This was promoted at the Office of the Third Sector's road show in Cambridge on 8 June 2009, attended by over 60 delegates from the region.

Capacitybuilders

Nick Hurd: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what the criteria are for receiving funds from the Capacitybuilders Campaigning Research Programme.

Angela Smith: The Capacitybuilders Campaigning Research Programme will support organisations to take part in research about third sector campaigning. Criteria for the programme are:
	Participants must be third sector organisations
	Organisations must be small organisations with limited campaigning capacity
	Organisations must be prepared to be involved in action learning (up to 10 days from October 2009 to March 2011)
	Further, the campaign must:
	Represent, support or champion the voice of a marginalised group or seek change on their behalf
	Comply with the Charity Commission's guidance on campaigning and political activity
	Use campaigning methods which can help the sector learn more about effective campaigning. This may be a campaign which is already running but could be improved by introducing new or different campaigning methods.

Capacitybuilders: Staffordshire

Joan Walley: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what progress has been made on funding projects under the Capacitybuilders programme in  (a) Stoke-on-Trent and  (b) Staffordshire.

Angela Smith: Capacitybuilders is making good progress in investing across Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent. Investments through a range of programmes during 2008-11 are listed in the following table. Note that many grants benefit both Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent, for example, the consortium grants benefit a group of 13 local support providers from across the area, including the rural community council, many councils for voluntary service and specialist bodies for BME and faith groups.
	
		
			  Programme  Recipient  Period of grant  Area of benefit  Grant amount () 
			 Capital Programme Lichfield and District Community and Voluntary Sector Support One-off Staffordshire 29,891 
			 Volunteer Management Programme Lichfield and District Community and Voluntary Sector Support Three-month development grant for potential 18-month grant Staffordshire (Sub-regional: Stoke on Trent benefits) 5,000 
			 Real Help Now Modernisation Fund -Local Delivery Agent Stafford District Voluntary Services Six-month grant Staffordshire (Sub-regional: Stoke-on-Trent benefits) 4,000 
			 Real Help Now Modernisation Fund: Provisional Bursary Awards 12 recipients across Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent One-off Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent (1)12,000 
			 Consortium Modernisation Project, 2008-11 Lichfield and District Community and Voluntary Sector Support Three years Staffordshire (Sub-regional: Stoke on Trent benefits) 132,570 
			 Consortium Development Grant, 2008-11 Lichfield and District Community and Voluntary Sector Support Three years Staffordshire (Sub-regional: Stoke on Trent benefits) 156,000 
			 Total339,461 
			 (1) 12 1,000 bursaries.

Departmental Motor Vehicles

Andrew Stunell: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how much her Department spent on hire vehicles in each of the last five financial years.

Angela Smith: Details of expenditure on hire vehicles are shown in the table:
	
		
			
			 2004-05 50,630 
			 2005-06 29,259 
			 2006-07 32,369 
			 2007-08 49,839 
			 2008-09 22,831

Departmental Public Expenditure

Graham Brady: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office which Minister in her Department has been assigned responsibility for overseeing the delivery of value for money in her Department; whether her Department has established a public sector reform team to implement service reforms; and if she will make a statement.

Tessa Jowell: I am the Minister responsible for overseeing the delivery of value for money in the Cabinet Office.
	The Public Services Unit was established in the Cabinet Office on 1 April 2009 to support the continued development of the Government's strategy for reforming public services and embed it through workforce and service innovation. The Unit covers four main policy areas: strategic analysis; workforce reform; innovation; and service transformation. The Unit works closely with HM Treasury, the Prime Minister's Delivery Unit and other parts of Cabinet Office, such as the Office of the Third Sector.

Departmental Travel

Justine Greening: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how much her Department spent on  (a) car hire,  (b) train travel,  (c) air travel,  (d) hotels and  (e) restaurant meals for (i) Ministers and (ii) staff in her Department in each of the last five years.

Angela Smith: It is not possible to readily identify from the Department's accounting system how much was spent under the categories shown by Ministers and staff. This information is therefore available only at disproportionate cost.

Divorce

Maria Miller: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many divorces have been concluded in each quarter of the last three years.

Angela Smith: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.
	 Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated August 2009:
	As National Statistician I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question asking how many divorces have been concluded in each quarter of the last three years. (289319)
	The table below summarises divorces concluded in each quarter for 2005, 2006 and 2007; data for 2007 are provisional.
	
		
			  UK Divorces by quarter 2005-07 
			  Quarters  2005  2006  2007( 1) 
			 March 39,448 37,682 38,875 
			 June 40,000 36,720 37,231 
			 September 38,882 37,004 36,733 
			 December 36,722 36,735 31,381 
			 Total 155,052 148,141 144,220 
			 (1) Provisional 
		
	
	Divorces are tabulated according to date of decree absolute. The term 'divorces' includes decrees of nullity. The fact that a divorce has taken place in England, Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland does not mean either of the parties is resident there.
	In Scotland a small number of late divorces from previous years are added to the current year. Scotland are presently revising their divorce counts to exclude the late divorces from previous years (back to 1985). The changes will be small and will not affect UK trends over the time period in question. The new Scottish counts will be published by the General Register Office for Scotland (GROS) in their forthcoming Annual Report, due to be published on 7 August 2009.

Employment: Hemel Hempstead

Michael Penning: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office 
	(1)  how many  (a) men and  (b) women were in employment in Hemel Hempstead constituency in May in each year since 1997;
	(2)  how many people in Hemel Hempstead constituency have been claiming jobseeker's allowance for more than two years;
	(3)  how many and what proportion of young people aged between 18 and 24 years old resident in  (a) Hemel Hempstead constituency,  (b) Dacorum and  (c) Hertfordshire claimed jobseeker's allowance in (i) each of the last five years and (ii) 2009 to date.

Angela Smith: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.
	 Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated July 2009:
	As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Questions asking how many  (a) men and  (b) women were in employment in Hemel Hempstead constituency in May in each year since 1997; how many people in Hemel Hempstead constituency have been claiming jobseeker's allowance for more than two years; and how many and what proportion of young people aged between 18 and 24 years old resident in  (a) Hemel Hempstead constituency,  (b) Dacorum and  (c) Hertfordshire claimed jobseeker's allowance in (i) each of the last five years and (ii) 2009 to date. (289440,289439 and 289614)
	The Office for National Statistics (ONS) compiles employment statistics for local areas from the Annual Population Survey and its predecessor the annual Labour Force Survey (LFS) following International Labour Organisation (ILO) definitions. Monthly estimates are not available. Table 1 shows the number of men and women resident in Hemel Hempstead parliamentary constituency who were in employment in each year since 1997.
	The Office for National Statistics (ONS) compiles the number of claimants of Jobseeker's Allowance (JSA) from the Jobcentre Plus administrative system. The number of persons claiming JSA in June 2009 for more than 2 years was 10.
	Table 2 shows the number and percentage of 18 to 24 year olds claiming Jobseeker's Allowance in the requested areas. Percentages are not available for the Hemel Hempstead parliamentary constituency.
	National and local area estimates for many labour market statistics, including employment, unemployment and claimant count are available on the NOMIS website at:
	http://www.nomisweb.co.uk
	
		
			  Table 1:  Number of persons resident in Hemel Hempstead in employment 
			  Thousand 
			  12 months ending  Male  Female 
			 February 1998 26 22 
			 February 1999 27 24 
			 February 2000 25 23 
			 February 2001 28 24 
			 February 2002 27 23 
			 February 2003 28 28 
			 February 2004 27 29 
			 December 2004 27 26 
			 December 2005 27 24 
			 December 2006 29 21 
			 December 2007 29 25 
			 December 2008(1) ***27 ***26 
			 (1) Coefficients of Variation have been calculated for the latest period as an indication of the quality of the estimates. See Guide to Quality below.  Guide to Quality: The Coefficient of Variation (CV) indicates the quality of an estimate, the smaller the CV value the higher the quality. The true value is likely to lie within +/- twice the CVfor example, for an estimate of 200 with a CV of 5 per cent. we would expect the population total to be within the range 180-220  Key Coefficient of Variation (CV) (%) Statistical Robustness * 0 = CV5 Estimates are considered precise ** 5 = CV 10 Estimates are considered reasonably precise *** 10 = CV 20 Estimates are considered acceptable **** CV 20 Estimates are considered too unreliable for practical purposes  Source: Annual Population Survey and Annual Labour Force Survey 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 2: Number and percentage  of 18 to 24-year-olds claiming jobseeker's a llowance 
			   Hemel Hempstead  Dacorum  Hertfordshire 
			   Number  Percentage  Number  Percentage  Number  Percentage 
			  2004   
			 June 255  300 3.0 1,870 2.4 
			 July 240  290 2.9 2,030 2.6 
			 August 290  345 3.5 2,205 2.8 
			 September 285  340 3.5 2,165 2.8 
			 October 280  330 3.4 1,960 2.5 
			 November 270  325 3.3 1,925 2.4 
			 December 245  290 2.9 1,885 2.4 
			
			  2005   
			 January 265  315 3.2 2,155 2.7 
			 February 275  325 3.3 2,245 2.8 
			 March 280  340 3.4 2,330 2.9 
			 April 275  330 3.3 2,285 2.9 
			 May 290  350 3.5 2,250 2.8 
			 June 285  335 3.4 2,185 2.7 
			 July 305  365 3.7 2,375 3. 
			 August 340  410 4.1 2,565 3.2 
			 September 330  405 4.1 2,560 3.2 
			 October 315  370 3.7 2,390 3.0 
			 November 310  365 3.7 2,335 2.9 
			 December 270  330 3.3 2,225 2.8 
			  2006   
			 January 310  385 3.8 2,415 3.0 
			 February 360  435 4.4 2,745 3.4 
			 March 370  450 4.5 2,805 3.4 
			 April 370  435 4.4 2,690 3.3 
			 May 350  420 4.2 2,580 3.2 
			 June 345  405 4.1 2,560 3.1 
			 July 345  425 4.2 2,820 3.5 
			 August 345  420 4.2 2,965 3.6 
			 September 345  425 4.3 2,980 3.7 
			 October 350  435 4.4 2,870 3.5 
			 November 340  420 4.2 2,720 3.3 
			 December 290  350 3.5 2,395 2.9 
			
			  2007   
			 January 320  390 3.8 2,565 3.1 
			 February 340  410 4.0 2,710 3.2 
			 March 345  400 3.9 2,675 3.2 
			 April 310  360 3.5 2,465 2.9 
			 May 320  370 3.6 2,445 2.9 
			 June 315  350 3.4 2,340 2.8 
			 July 300  335 3.3 2,390 2.9 
			 August 315  355 3.5 2,520 3.0 
			 September 275  315 3.1 2,360 2.8 
			 October 250  285 2.8 2,245 2.7 
			 November 235  270 2.6 2,060 2.5 
			 December 215  250 2.4 1,895 2.3 
			
			  2008   
			 January 240  280 2.8 2,045 2.4 
			 February 275  315 3.1 2,265 2.7 
			 March 275  325 3.2 2,280 2.7 
			 April 265  315 3.1 2,175 2.6 
			 May 245  285 2.8 2,120 2.5 
			 June 270  305 3.0 2,130 2.5 
			 July 305  345 3.4 2,380 2.8 
			 August 355  400 3.9 2,750 3.3 
			 September 365  415 4.0 2,860 3.4 
			 October 360  420 4.1 2,895 3.5 
			 November 340  405 4.0 2,960 3.5 
			 December 320  380 3.7 3,165 3.8 
			
			  2009   
			 January 390  470 4.6 3,590 4.3 
			 February 515  625 6.1 4,630 5.5 
			 March 575  690 6.7 4,885 5.8 
			 April 580  690 6.7 4,990 6.0 
			 May 590  705 6.9 4,925 5.9 
			 June 555  655 6.4 4,820 5.8 
			  Note: Numbers rounded to the nearest five.  Source: Jobcentre Plus administrative system

Influenza

Francis Maude: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what the  (a) role and  (b) remit of the Cabinet Office is in relation to resilience and civil contingency planning measures for an influenza pandemic.

Tessa Jowell: The Department of Health is the lead Department responsible for managing cross-government preparations for, and the response to, an influenza pandemic. The Cabinet Office supports this work by ensuring effective collective consideration of cross-cutting issues, as necessary. This is part of the Cabinet Office's wider remit to build resilience and make Government work better by ensuring the coherence, quality and delivery of policy and operations across Departments and the wider public sector.

Jobseeker's Allowance

Shailesh Vara: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many and what proportion of people in each local authority area in England aged between  (a) 18 and 24,  (b) 25 and 30,  (c) 31 and 40,  (d) 41 and 50 and  (e) 51 and 65 years claimed jobseeker's allowance in each of the last five years.

Angela Smith: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.
	 Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated July 2009:
	As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking how many and what proportion of people in each local authority area in England aged between (a) 18 and 24, (b) 25 and 30, (c) 31 and 40, (d) 41 and 50 and (e) 51 and 65 years claimed jobseeker's allowance in each of the last five years. (289296)
	The Office for National Statistics (ONS) compiles the number of claimants of Jobseeker's Allowance (JSA) from the Jobcentre Plus administrative system. The requested age bands are not available, however figures are produced on a similar standard breakdown. Tables 1 to 5 show the number and proportion of people aged 18 to 24, 25 to 29, 30 to 39, 40 to 49, 50 to 59 and 60 and over resident in each local authority area in England who has claimed JSA in each of the last five years. As the information provided is extensive, a copy of the tables has been placed in the House of Commons Library.
	National and local area estimates for many labour market statistics, including employment, unemployment and claimant count are available on the NOMIS website at:
	http://www.nomisweb.co.uk

Ministerial Policy Advisers: Costs

Nick Hurd: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how much each of the special advisers in  (a) the Cabinet Office and  (b) 10 Downing Street have claimed in expenses payments in the last 24 months.

Angela Smith: It is not possible to readily identify from the Department's accounting system how much was claimed in expenses payments by special advisers in the last 24 months. This information is therefore available only at disproportionate cost.

Pensioners: Death

Charles Hendry: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what her most recent estimate is of the number of people over the age of 65 years who died as a result of cold weather-related illnesses in the winter of  (a) 2006-07,  (b) 2007-08 and  (c) 2008-09.

Angela Smith: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.
	 Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated July 2009:
	As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your recent question asking what the most recent estimate is of the number of people over the age of 65 years who died as a result of cold-weather-related illnesses in the winter of (a) 2006-07, (b) 2007-08 and (c) 2008-09. (289646)
	The number of excess winter deaths in England and Wales,(1,2) of persons aged 65 years and over, for (a) 2006-07 was 22,550, and for (b) 2007-08 was 22,400(3) (the latest figures available).
	It is not possible to say whether these deaths were related to cold weather. Also, there is no official definition of 'cold-weather-related illnesses', therefore deaths from all causes have been included.
	(1) Estimates of excess winter deaths are based on the difference between the number of deaths during the four winter months (December to March) and the average number of deaths during the preceding four months (August to November) and the following four months (April to July).
	(2) Figures are based on deaths occurring in each month.
	(3) Figures for 2006-07 are final, figures for 2007-08 are provisional. Final figures are rounded to the nearest 10, provisional figures are rounded to the nearest 100.

Public Appointments

Nick Hurd: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what proportion of all public appointments were advertised on the www.publicappts-vacs.gov.uk website in the latest period for which figures are available; and what guidance she has given to  (a) Government departments,  (b) executive agencies and  (c) non-departmental public bodies on listing public vacancies on that site.

Tessa Jowell: The majority of public appointments are advertised on the Cabinet Office Public Appointment Vacancies website. Cabinet Office guidance is that all vacancies to posts regulated by the Commissioner for Public Appointments must be advertised on the site. This is also a requirement of the Commissioner's own Code of Practice. It is the responsibility of the Commissioner for Public Appointments to monitor, and report on compliance with, her Code of Practice.

Tamils

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many Tamils live in the United Kingdom.

Angela Smith: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.
	 Letter from Jil Matheson, dated October 2009:
	As National Statistician I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking how many Tamils live in the United Kingdom. (291528).
	The most reliable data on the number of people identifying as Tamil come from the 2001 Censuses in England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland - the numbers of people identifying in more recent surveys are too small to produce reliable estimates. Information for Scotland and Northern Ireland has been provided by their respective Registrars General.
	None of the 2001 UK. censuses included a 'Tamil' tick-box in their ethnic group questions although respondents had the option to give an identity of their choice in one of the write-in spaces provided, if they did not believe that any of the given options was appropriate.
	A total of 5,818 people in the UK used the write-in option to describe their ethnic group as 'Tamil' and a further 68,524 people wrote in that their ethnic group was 'Sri Lankan'. It is not known how many of these Sri Lankans also have a Tamil identity.
	Furthermore all the UK censuses included an 'Indian' pre-designated tick-box, which some respondents may have ticked without providing further information.

Afghanistan: Peacekeeping Operations

Ann Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if his Department will make arrangements to embed the journalist Michael Yon with British forces in Afghanistan.

Bob Ainsworth: Any request by Michael Yon to embed with British forces in Afghanistan will be considered alongside other requests from the media, as was the case for his previous embeds.
	He will 'not' be given special treatment, neither will he be disadvantaged by comparison with others.

Armed Forces

Gerald Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will place a copy of the most recent  (a) Chief of the General Staff's Briefing Team,  (b) RAF Personnel Liaison Team and  (c) Navy Personnel Liaison Team report in the Library.

Bill Rammell: The most recent report compiled by the Chief of the General Staffs Briefing Team, that for 2008, was placed in the Library of the House in May 2009 and remains the most recently published at this time; a copy of the next report, due for publication in 2010, will be placed in the Library of the House when formally published.
	The Royal Air Force Liaison Team was disestablished in 2005 and its last report, published in May 2004, was released into the public domain in late 2008; a copy of this report will be deposited in the Library of the House.
	The Royal Navy's Second Sea Lord's Personnel Liaison Team was disestablished in late 2005 though a copy of its last report, published in May 2005, was released into the public domain in late 2008; a copy of this report will be deposited in the Library of the House.

Armed Forces: Housing

Mark Pritchard: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many service families have been granted housing under shared equity schemes since the publication of Command Paper 7424.

Kevan Jones: This information is not held in the format requested.
	The Key Worker Living programme in England is run on behalf of the Government by 23 regional Homebuy Agents. There is no requirement to advise the MOD of how many successful applications are from service families.
	In Wales, the devolved administration does not record those in shared equity schemes who are members of service families.
	Since August 2008 Scotland began collecting information of this type and to date there are 10 households where the shared equity buyer has declared themselves as being a member of the armed forces or a veteran. However, this may understate the position as not all buyers choose to return a form advising of their employment group in a timely fashion.

Armed Forces: Housing

Mark Pritchard: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many service personnel had priority status under the Key Worker Living scheme in England in 2008.

Kevan Jones: Eligibility for Key Worker Status extends to all Regular Armed Forces personnel, including MPGS, MOD Police, Defence Fire Service and clinical staff in MOD medical establishments of all personal status categories. They retain their entitlement to Key Worker Status for the first year after leaving.
	However, one of the criteria to be applied in determining key worker status is to have a household income of less than 60,000. While we can identify those service personnel who have a salary less than this amount we do not hold information on other income generated by the household.

Armed Forces: Mental Health Services

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  how many troops returning from  (a) Afghanistan and  (b) Iraq have been treated for (i) post traumatic stress disorder and (ii) drug and alcohol dependency in each of the last five years;
	(2)  what support is available for  (a) soldiers and  (b) veterans suffering from (i) post traumatic stress disorder, (ii) drug and alcohol dependency and (c) any other mental illness; and if he will make a statement.

Kevan Jones: The MOD's Defence Analytical Services and Advice (DASA) organisation publishes statistics on new attendances to the MOD's Departments of Community Mental Health (DCMH) in the UK Armed Forces Psychiatric Morbidity reports. Quarterly and annual reports for the whole of 2007 and 2008, and quarterly reports for January to March and April to June 2009, are now available both in the Library of the House and on the DASA website at:
	www.dasa.mod.uk
	Equivalent verified data prior to 2007 are not available and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	MOD takes very seriously its responsibility to provide high-quality mental health care to its personnel. Diagnosis and treatment of mental health disorders in members of the armed forces are performed by trained and accredited mental health personnel. In Afghanistan, we deploy uniformed mental health nurses to provide in-theatre care and treatment for our personnel. If personnel need to leave the operational environment, then their care continues either on an out- or in-patient basis in the UK or their permanent base overseas.
	In the UK, our mental health services for military personnel are configured to provide community-based mental health care, primarily through our 15 military Departments of Community Mental Health (DCMH) across the UK (plus centres overseas), which provide out-patient mental health care. The DCMH mental health teams, comprising psychiatrists, mental health nurses, clinical psychologists and mental health social workers, have particular expertise in treatments for psychological injury.
	For the relatively small number of military patients who need it, in-patient care is currently provided by a group of seven NHS trusts located throughout England and Scotland, led by South Staffordshire and Shropshire NHS Foundation Trust (SSSFT) through a central MOD contract.
	The Department has issued guidance to commanders on substance misuse and all three services have robust drug and alcohol policies in place. As such early intervention by the chain of command is likely to occur for disciplinary or welfare reasons before treatment by the Defence Medical Services would become necessary.
	Service personnel identified by the chain of command as being at risk of alcohol misuse receive counselling and welfare support, this can include attendance on preventative early intervention programmes designed to alert them to the harm that alcohol can cause to themselves and others. More serious cases are treated through specialist medical and psychological treatment and rehabilitation, including where appropriate as in-patients.
	Drug use is seen as being incompatible with military service and as such there is a zero tolerance policy which is reinforced by Compulsory Drug Testing (CDT). In the majority of cases a positive CDT result will lead to an immediate administrative discharge. In very exceptional circumstances service personnel may be retained if their drug use is considered to be uncharacteristic and their retention would be in the interest of the service. In these cases retention is subject to the successful completion of a special programme, which is designed to re-educate and give training in cognitive behavioural therapy.
	When personnel leave military service their health care becomes the responsibility of the NHS. Ex-service personnel receive good treatment from their GPs but we recognise that many health professionals have limited experience of dealing with veterans who have mental health symptoms arising from their service experience. The MOD, the four health departments and the Combat Stress charity have been working together with clinical experts and the Health and Social Care Advisory Service (HASCAS) to develop a new model of community based mental health care that will address assessment and treatment of veterans' mental health problems in the long term.
	The community mental health model is NHS-led and reflects NHS best practice. Two-year pilots, tailored to local circumstances, are operating at Staffordshire and Shropshire Foundation Healthcare Trust, Camden and Islington Mental Health and Social Care Trust, Cardiff and Vale NHS Trust, Tees Esk and Wear NHS Trust, Cornwall NHS Partnership, and NHS Lothian (led by the Scottish Executive). Evaluation of the pilot areas is now under way; early results from all six are encouraging, with evidence that veterans feel able to access and use the service with confidence. Informed by the results of the evaluation the service will be rolled out across the UK. In the interim, for areas not yet involved in the pilots, veterans with operational service after 1982 who are concerned about their mental health can attend our Medical Assessment Programme based at St. Thomas' hospital, for specialist mental health assessment by a consultant psychiatrist with extensive military experience.

Armed Forces: Mental Health Services

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what steps his Department is taking to ensure the provision of suitable after-care for veterans of the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan in respect of post-traumatic stress disorder and other mental illnesses; and if he will make a statement.

Kevan Jones: Since 1948, it has been successive Governments' policy that the NHS should be the main provider of health care for veterans and for the majority of veterans their mental health needs are fully met by current NHS provisions.
	The Department of Health and Devolved Administrations with support from the Ministry of Defence and Combat Stress have launched six mental health pilots around the United Kingdom. The aim of the pilots is to deliver a service which provides expert assessment and interventions and which is acceptable to veterans.
	The early results from all six pilots are encouraging with evidence that veterans feel able to access and use the service with confidence. Evidence suggests that the presence of the pilots is making a difference to the local veterans' communities.
	Veterans who do not live near one of the regional schemes can access the Medical Assessment Programme (MAP) which is available to veterans who were deployed on operations since 1982. The MAP offers comprehensive physical and mental health assessments for veterans who feel that their ill-health may be linked to military service.

Army: Northern Ireland

Kate Hoey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make an assessment of the merits of deploying troops on the South Armagh border areas for the purpose of preventing attacks by dissident republican groups.

Bill Rammell: No. The safety and security of the people of Northern Ireland is the responsibility of the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI). In a written ministerial statement released on 8 December 2008,  Official Report, column 28WS, following the end of Op Banner my predecessor stated
	The Armed Forces will continue to provide support to the PSNI and contribute to civil contingencies where required through normal procedures for military aid to the civil authorities in the UK.

Balkans: Peacekeeping Operations

Clare Short: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many settlements of what monetary value his Department has paid to members of the armed forces in each age group in relation to combat stress following service in Bosnia and Kosovo; how many claims for such settlements are outstanding; and if he will make a statement.

Kevan Jones: The number of claims settled and outstanding together with the amount of compensation paid including legal costs is shown as follows:
	
		
			   Number settled  Compensation paid ( million)  Number outstanding 
			 Bosnia 5 1.5 0 
			 Kosovo 0 0 1 
		
	
	The age of those service personnel at the date of settlement of their claims ranged from 32 to 46. The age of the one outstanding claimant is 44.

Defence Equipment

Mark Pritchard: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will discuss with his US counterpart the development of a hyper-sonic mass technology joint capability.

Quentin Davies: The MOD's research into hyper-sonic mass technology ended in 2005 and it was determined that the technology did not offer cost effective alternatives to current capabilities. This position was reiterated in section B7 of the Defence Technology Strategy, published October 2006 of which a copy is available in the Library of the House. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Defence will not be raising this issue with his US counterpart, Secretary Gates.

Defence: Procurement

Gerald Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he plans to publish the Bernard Gray report on his Ministry's equipment programme.

Bob Ainsworth: The report is expected to be published in the autumn.

Departmental Legal Costs

Ben Wallace: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much has been paid by his Department in legal costs to  (a) the solicitor Phil Shiner and  (b) public interest lawyers since 2001.

Bob Ainsworth: Specific data on the expenditure by the MOD on all legal costs paid to claimants' solicitors is not held centrally and therefore could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Departmental Marketing

Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 25 November 2008,  Official Report, column 1171W, on departmental marketing, how many staff in his Department were responsible for branding activity in 2008-09; and what the cost of employing such staff was in 2008-09.

Kevan Jones: In the financial year 2008-09 seven members of staff had some responsibility for brand management issues as part of their wider duties in the central MOD Media and Communication organisation.
	The total cost of these seven staff was 363,000 based on average capitation rates. Only a small proportion of this cost is attributable to brand management activities. It is not possible to say how much as the time spent varies from week to week.
	Some Defence Agencies, Top Level Budget areas, Trading Funds, Joint Headquarters, single Service Commands and some military units also have individuals whose responsibilities include brand management. This information is not held centrally and could be provided only at a disproportionate cost.

Departmental Motor Vehicles

Andrew Stunell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much his Department spent on hire vehicles in each of the last five financial years.

Quentin Davies: Expenditure on short term hires of passenger cars for the last five financial years through the UK White Fleet contract is provided in the following table.
	
		
			  Financial year  Amount (ex-VAT)  million 
			 2004-05 14 
			 2005-06 14.5 
			 2006-07 15.9 
			 2007-08 16.3 
			 2008-09 18.2 
		
	
	Expenditure on short term hires of passenger cars for the last two financial years, through the British Forces Germany White Fleet contract is provided in the following table.
	
		
			  Financial year  Amount (ex VAT)  million 
			 2007-08 3.7 
			 2008-09 5.2 
		
	
	This data has been rounded to approximate figures.
	Data prior to this is held in hard copy and could only be analysed and provided at disproportionate cost.
	Expenditure on other overseas car hire, booked through MOD's Defence Travel Cell, has only been recorded since April 2008 and amounted to some 1.2 million (ex-VAT) in FY 2008-09.
	Hires through Government Procurement Cards, MOD Agencies such as the Defence Support Group, Met Office and the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory and overseas dependencies fall outside the scope of White Fleet contracts and have separate local arrangements. These details are not held centrally and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

Departmental Official Hospitality

Theresa Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 12 May 2009,  Official Report, column 747W, on departmental official hospitality, how much his Department spent on entertainment and hospitality in  (a) each year from 1997-98 to 2006-07 and  (b) 2008-09.

Kevan Jones: The MOD has spent the following on entertainment and hospitality.
	
		
			million 
			 1997-98 5.0 
			 1998-99 5.6 
			 1999-2000 5.5 
			 2000-01 6.0 
			 2001-02 7.2 
			 2002-03 7.3 
			 2003-04 8.0 
			 2004-05 6.5 
			 2005-06 5.4 
			 2006-07 4.3 
			 2007-08 4.2 
			 2008-09 4.3 
		
	
	These figures include expenditure by the Defence Agencies, but not by the MOD's Trading Funds and Executive Non-Departmental Bodies, which lie outside the MOD's accounting boundary.
	Expenditure on entertaining and hospitality is incurred according to business need and is subject to prior approval and compliance with departmental rules and the principles of propriety set out in Managing Public Money and the Treasury's handbook on Regularity, Propriety and Value for Money. Departmental-level information on expenditure on entertainment and hospitality has been routinely published for many years, including in our annual report and accounts. From 2008-09 this information is shown broken down between Other Administration Costs (in Note 10a) and Other Programme Costs (in Note 10b).

Future Large Aircraft

Mark Pritchard: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he expects the A400M to enter service with the Royal Air Force.

Quentin Davies: The UK has joined Partner Nations in a negotiation phase with Airbus Military. The purpose of these discussionswhich are not expected to conclude before the end of this yearis to determine the way ahead for the A400M programme, including revised aircraft production and delivery schedules. Until these discussions are complete, it is not possible to provide definitive dates. The current planning assumption is late 2014.

Future Nature of War

Gerald Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will place in the Library a copy of his Department's document, The Future Nature of War.

Bill Rammell: There has been a range of work on the character of future conflict conducted within the MOD. Key findings will be incorporated within the Defence Green Paper that will be published in early 2010.

Met Office

Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the cost to the public purse has been of the  (a) operation and  (b) staffing of the Met Office in the last 12 months for which figures are available.

Kevan Jones: The Met Office is a trading fund and provides weather and climate services under contract to a range of Government and commercial customers. In 2008-09, revenue from these services, including maintenance of the underpinning infrastructure, amounted to 184.8 million, of which 150.7 million was from Government customers. Staff costs were 84 million. The Met Office returned a dividend of 17.2 million to MOD in relation to this period.
	Independent research has shown Met Office services for the public provide excellent value for money and an exceptional return on investment, creating value to the UK economy in excess of 600 million per year.

Military Aircraft: Crew

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what steps his Department is taking to increase retention and recruitment rates of aircrew personnel in the UK armed forces.

Kevan Jones: Currently, within the armed forces, the level of aircrew manning is sufficient to meet the tasks that they are required to undertake. The outflow rates of aircrew are constantly monitored and the inflow is carefully matched to ensure that there are always enough aircrew. There remain, however, a number of specific areas of concern.
	Financial retention incentives (FRIs) represent an important mechanism to achieve manning levels. There is an existing 50,000 FRI payable to eligible Royal Navy (RN) and Royal Air Force (RAF) career stream senior officer aircrew with an additional 50,000 payable to RN and RAF career stream senior officer pilots only.
	Other recruitment and retention measures include the professional aviator pay spine which enhances the pay and terms and conditions and specialist pay (SP). SP is subject to quinquennial review, as part of a rolling programme.
	Generally, across the services, recruitment of aircrew is healthy. However, within the Naval Service various forms of advertisements have been used. For example, the Royal Navy screened a television advertisement campaign for pilots incorporating an online game which simulated an aircrew aptitude test. Within the Army and RAF, recruitment of aircrew is robust and no specifically targeted recruitment initiatives are currently running for aircrew.

Military Aircraft: Helicopters

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether he plans to purchase additional helicopters to assist military operations in  (a) Afghanistan and  (b) elsewhere.

Bob Ainsworth: Over the next 10 years, the Ministry of Defence intends to invest some 6 billion in its helicopter capability, including procurement of the new Lynx Wildcat, which we confirmed in December last year, and the purchase of additional lift helicopters.
	This is a significant investment that will modernise and enhance our helicopter fleet, making it more suitable for extreme conditions such as hot temperatures, high altitudes and challenging operational conditions experienced in Afghanistan. Alongside investment being made from the reserve, this funding is already helping enhance our Merlin, Chinook and Lynx Mk9 fleets making them more suitable for deployment in Afghanistan. This investment will, by May 2010, allow us to double the number of UK battlefield helicopters in Afghanistan and increase the number of flying hours by more than 130 per cent. compared to November 2006. We constantly keep this situation under review.

Military Aircraft: Helicopters

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what additional investment has been made in the spare parts inventories for  (a) Merlin and  (b) Chinook helicopters in 2008-09; and what additional investment is planned for 2009-10.

Quentin Davies: An additional Merlin (multi-aircraft) deployable spares pack was delivered in 2008-09 and further investment has been made in additional stock for deployment in Afghanistan, for which deliveries will be completed in 2009-10. Total costs to date are in the region of 18 million.
	For Chinook, 19 million has been invested in the procurement of additional spares for support to operations in Afghanistan during FY 2008-09 and the first half of FY 2009-10. Spares purchased by Boeing Ltd. as part of broader support for the Chinook fleet are not included in the above.

Nepal: Helicopters

Clare Short: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 9 September 2009,  Official Report, column 2000W, on helicopters: Nepal, 
	(1)  what the terms of reference were of the investigation; and what the length and cost was of that investigation;
	(2)  what allegations were investigated by the Police Fraud Squad.

Bill Rammell: Detectives from the Ministry of Defence Police Fraud Squad (MDPFS) Anti Corruption Unit began a criminal investigation in June 2007 and delivered their findings in April 2008.
	The MDPFS were tasked to investigate the following:
	Was there any criminality evident in the procurement and gifting of the helicopters, by any UK MOD, overseas personnel, or contractors involved in the procurement process?
	Was there any misappropriation of Government funds?
	Were the procured helicopters value for money in respect of Government Funds being used for purchase?
	The cost of this investigation, which ensued as a result of an inquiry made by the Defence Fraud Analysis Unit in August 2007, was 500, covering travel and expenses incurred, but not salary costs. The costs of salary relating to this investigation are not held centrally and cannot be provided.

Nuclear Weapons

Ian Davidson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what changes there have been to the UK's deployable nuclear capability in each year since 1997.

Bob Ainsworth: Since before 1997 the UK has operated a fleet of four ballistic missile submarines. One submarine is on patrol at all times, providing Continuous At Sea Deterrence (CASD). In 1997, the fleet was completing a transition from the Resolution class to the Vanguard class; this transition was complete when the fourth Vanguard class, HMS Vengeance, achieved full operational status in early 2001.
	The WE177 free-fall nuclear bomb was withdrawn from service in 1998.
	The 1998 Strategic Defence Review concluded that the UK needed a stockpile of fewer than 200 operationally available warheads, a reduction of a third from the maximum of 300 announced by the previous Government. The December 2006 White Paper: The Future of the United Kingdom's Nuclear Deterrent (Cm 6994) announced a further reduction in our holdings of operationally available nuclear warheads, in line with the UK's commitment to maintain only the minimum necessary deterrent; we now have fewer than 160 operationally available nuclear warheads.
	On 24 September, the Prime Minister announced in his speech to the United Nations Security Council that, subject to technical analysis and progress in multilateral negotiations, when the next class of submarines enters service in the mid-2020s, the aim is for the UK to deliver CASD from a fleet reduced in size from four to three.

Nuclear Weapons: Transport

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many convoys transporting nuclear weapons have used roads in Scotland in the last five years.

Quentin Davies: It is Ministry of Defence policy not to comment upon the frequency or routes used by the convoys, as to do so would, or would be likely to, prejudice national security. Nuclear weapon convoy movements, however, are kept to the minimum necessary to maintain the operational effectiveness of the UK's nuclear deterrent.

Puma Helicopters

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what his most recent assessment is of the performance of the upgraded Puma helicopters in combat operations.

Bob Ainsworth: The Puma medium support helicopter will be fitted with new engines and modern avionics. Our assessment is that this upgrade will provide a step change in the Puma's capability, providing enhanced performance in the toughest and most demanding conditions.

Radar

Willie Rennie: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much his Department spent on the development of the UK Air Surveillance Command and Control System in  (a) 2006,  (b) 2007 and  (c) 2008.

Quentin Davies: Spend on the Concept and Assessment Phases of the UK Air Surveillance Command and Control System (UKASCACS) project in the financial years in question are as follows:
	
		
			  Financial year  Cost ( million) 
			 2006-07 1.054 
			 2007-08 0.739 
			 2008-09 0.498 
		
	
	In 2008 the project was extended and redirected into the Air Command and Control Future Capability (AC2FC). The monies spent previously are contributing to the ongoing development of this project which will provide a more effective capability for UK.

Renewables Advisory Board

Greg Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change pursuant to the answer of 26 March 2009,  Official Report, column 709W, on the Renewables Advisory Board, when he expects to finalise the Renewables Advisory Board budget for 2009-10.

David Kidney: We expect the budget for the Renewables Advisory Board (RAB) to be finally agreed in the early autumn.
	I can however confirm that for the three months April to June the spend for RAB was 36,257.

Carbon Emissions

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what steps he is taking to improve cross-departmental working on building a low carbon economy.

Joan Ruddock: In July the Government published the UK Low Carbon Transition Plan, which set out the UK's strategy for making the transition to a low carbon economy. Responsibility for delivering the strategy is shared across Government, and DECC is working closely with other departments to ensure the measures set out in the Transition Plan and associated documents are delivered effectively.

Carbon Emissions

Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of the Carbon Emissions Reduction scheme in  (a) 2002 to 2005,  (b) 2005 to 2008 and  (c) 2009.

David Kidney: The primary aim of the Carbon Emission Reduction Target (CERT, 2008-11) is to reduce carbon emissions in the household sector to contribute to national and international climate change targets. CERT and its predecessor the Energy Efficiency Commitment (EEC, 2002-08) has shown to be very effective, with EEC saving some 3.2 million tonnes of CO2 annually by 2008 and CERT expected to add a further 5.6 million tonnes of CO2 savings by 2011. This mechanism has also proved to be very effective at getting measures into homesfor instance, some six million households have benefited from subsidised or free insulation since 2002, one million of these in the first year of CERT alone. Independent analysis has also demonstrated that this has been achieved cost-effectivelythrough EEC householders are receiving ongoing benefits in the form of reduced energy bills and increased comfort with a net present value of 8.2 billion.

Carbon Emissions: Developing Countries

Charles Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change with reference to the Prime Minister's announcement of 26 June 2009 of a $100 billion per year fund to help developing countries reduce their emissions, what proportion of this fund the Government expects to contribute; and from which budget this funding will be made.

Joan Ruddock: The UK wants all countries except the least developed to contribute to climate financing. The UK is arguing for an objective, transparent way of working out which countries should contribute using criteria such as ability to pay (GDP) and responsibility (emissions).
	We expect a significant portion of the $100 billion figure to be generated by a reformed and expanded global carbon market. Revenues generated by the carbon market are heavily dependent on the mitigation ambition of a global deal, so we are simultaneously pushing for a high ambition deal at the Copenhagen summit in December.
	The UK has proposed that some climate finance can come from official development assistance where it clearly meets both poverty reduction and adaptation or mitigation objectives. However, in the UK we will limit such expenditure to up to 10 per cent. of our official development assistance. We are working towards this limit being agreed internationally.
	The rest would come from a combination of new and additional sources of finance. The UK would be willing to support the approach proposed by Norway, which is an 'automatic' mechanism for generating predictable and credible flows of international public finance by auctioning a small proportion of international emissions allowances.
	A decision has not been made about which budget this funding will be made from. The UK has pledged to pay its fair share of climate finance, but the exact proportion the UK Government expect to contribute are contingent on the deal at Copenhagen.

Carbon Emissions: Developing Countries

Charles Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change with reference to the Prime Minister's announcement of 26 June 2009 of a $100 billion per year fund to help developing countries reduce their emissions, whether he expects to achieve a global agreement on this proposal  (a) before the Copenhagen summit and  (b) at the Copenhagen summit.

Joan Ruddock: The aim of the Prime Minister's announcement was to move the debate from hypothetical figures to negotiation on actual mitigation actions and contributions. The UK wants all countries except the least developed to contribute to climate financing. The $100 billion figure includes carbon market revenues, up to 10 per cent. of official development assistance and a combination of new and additional sources of finance; the UK is willing to support an automatic mechanism auctioning a small proportion of international emissions allowances, as proposed by Norway.
	The UK has been working towards a global agreement on the principles set out in the Prime Minister's announcement, using all available international negotiations and near-negotiations fora. The initiative has enabled the UK to show leadership and provided an opportunity to push for strong progress on climate finance. The international response has been positive, both from developing countries such as The Maldives and Rwanda, as well developed countries such as Australia. Recently, the Prime Minister was invited by President Obama to give a presentation on the UK initiative at the Major Economies Forum. We will continue to work closely with EU and international colleagues in the coming months in order to reach a global agreement on finance at the Copenhagen summit.

Carbon Emissions: Households

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what recent steps the Government has taken to encourage households to reduce their carbon dioxide emissions.

David Kidney: On 11 September 2008 my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister announced a major boost to our energy efficiency programme, building on an already ambitious package of measures.
	The announcement included a significant increase in the Carbon Emissions Reduction Target (CERT) obligation on suppliers, demanding additional energy supplier investment of some 560 million in household energy efficiencytaking overall supplier investment to almost 3.4 billion over the three years of the scheme to 2011. Overall, we expect the scheme to benefit around 6 million households with significant energy saving measures such as insulation, while millions more will benefit from energy efficient lights, high efficiency appliances and energy saving devices.
	In addition, my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister announced a new Community Energy Savings Programme which is now in operation delivering an estimated 350 million of measures to reduce the carbon emissions and fuel bills of 90,000 households in vulnerable low-income communities.
	The Department of Energy and Climate Change also grant funds the Energy Saving Trust (EST) to support its work reducing carbon emissions from the household sector. Through the Government funded ACT ON CO2 advice line and regional one-stop shop advice centres, the EST works directly with consumers to help them reduce their carbon footprint with respect to energy, waste, water and transport. In 2008-09 the EST advised over 1.3 million consumers through their advice centres.

Carbon Sequestration

Charles Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change pursuant to the Statement of 23 April 2009,  Official Report, column 382, on coal and carbon capture and storage, how much he estimates the proposed financial mechanism will raise in each year up to 2020.

David Kidney: The amount that will be raised under the levy each year will depend on a number of factors including the rate at which projects come forward, the number of projects supported at any time and the cost of each project, which will vary dependent upon a number of factors including technology type, installed capacity, operational performance and location.
	The impact assessment which is part of our consultation, A Framework for Cleaner Coal, published on 17 June provides an estimate of the costs of CCS demonstration under an illustrative scenario up to 2032.
	The scenario is based on up to four CCS demonstration projects, one of 300MW and three of 450MW capacity receiving support for up to 15 years. The total cost of support that would be provided from the levy is estimated to be 5.2  9.0 billion.

Carbon Sequestration

Greg Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how much the Government has spent on developing carbon capture and storage technology to date.

David Kidney: Between 1997 and 2009 the Government spent 77.9 million on the research and development of Carbon Abatement Technologies, including Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS). Spend for CCS technologies only is not available.
	This comprises spending under the UK's Clean Coal Programme administered by the former Department of Trade and Industry, the Technology Strategy Board (TSB), the UK Research Councils and the Environmental Transformation Fund (ETF) Carbon Abatement Technology Demonstration Programme.

Carbon Trust

Charles Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what the budget of the Carbon Trust was in  (a) 2007-08,  (b) 2008-09 and  (c) 2009-10; what it is planned to be in 2010-11; and how much of that funding was from his Department in each year.

Joan Ruddock: The Carbon Trust is a private company and receives income from a number of sources.
	The amounts grant funded by DECC (and previously by DEFRA and by DTI/BERR) to the Carbon Trust in 2007-08 and 2008-09 are as follows:
	
		
			   million 
			   DEFRA/DECC  DTI/BERR 
			 2007-08 90.7 0.73 
			 2008-09 89.063 0.97 
		
	
	In 2009-10, the Carbon Trust will receive up to 84.53 million in core grant funding from DECC. The trust will also receive up to 121.6 million of additional funding in 2009-10 specifically to deliver low interest loans to small and medium enterprises and public sector bodies (through Salix Finance), as announced in Budget 2009. The trust may also receive further funding for specific activities from the low carbon investment funding announced in Budget 2009.
	The trust's budget for 2010-11 has not been finalised as this forms part of DECC's wider decisions on funding allocations.

Climate Change

Michael Moore: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what methodology his Department used to  (a) establish that adopting its proposals to the UN framework on climate change would restrict temperature rises to below two degrees Celsius and  (b) calculate that expenditure of US$100 billion per annum was required to tackle climate change globally.

Joan Ruddock: holding answer 16 September 2009
	We have used the IPCC Fourth Assessment Report as a primary reference for relating global emissions to our 2C goal. We have also extensively used the Stern Review. In addition the Government are funding a major research programme on the science of climate change called the AVOID programme. AVOID is a DECC/DEFRA funded research programme led by the Met Office in a consortium with the Walker Institute, Tyndall Centre and Grantham Institute. For further information see:
	http://www.avoid.uk.net
	We have drawn on analysis in various independent reports to calculate the scale of finance needed to tackle climate change in developing countries. The most recent, by Project Catalyst (a philanthropically funded project to develop analysis for the UNFCCC), put the total at 65-100 billion per year on average from 2010-2020 (55-80 billion mitigation; 10-20 billion adaptation). The figure that the Prime Minister announced in a speech on 26 June 2009 of around $100 billion by 2020 is within this range. However, we also recognised that we must distinguish between research studies and the actual finance that countries might need for their low carbon and climate resilient growth and development. Therefore, we have proposed $100 billion a year by 2020 as a working figure for the world to focus on.

Climate Change

Sammy Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what assessment his Department has made of changes to average global temperature since 2000.

Joan Ruddock: Observations collated at the Met Office Hadley Centre and the university of East Anglia Climate Research Unit indicate that global average near-surface temperatures during each of the years 2000 to 2008 inclusive, relative to the late 20th century (1961 to 1990) average of 14.00C, were: +0.24, +0.40, +0.45, +0.46, +0.43, +0.48, +0.42, +0.40, and +0.31C. Thus, the average for this period was 0.40C warmer than that in the late 20th century.
	Eight of the 10 warmest years on record all occurred between 2000 and 2008. It should be noted that short timescale (year-to-year to decadal) natural fluctuations in temperature are superimposed upon the long-term underlying warming trend.

Climate Change: Conferences

Michael Moore: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change whether he plans to lead the Government's delegation to the UN Framework Conference on Climate Change negotiations in Copenhagen in December 2009; what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change on steps to secure an international agreement at the Copenhagen conference; and if he will make a statement.

Joan Ruddock: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change will lead the UK delegation when he goes to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change Conference of the Parties in Copenhagen this December. Getting a deal at Copenhagen is a priority for the Government and the Prime Minister has said that if it is necessary to secure agreement in Copenhagen, he will personally go to achieve it.

Climate Change: Conferences

Dai Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change which Ministers and officials from his Department participated in the UN Secretary General's high level event on climate change in New York on 22 September 2009; and if he will post on his departmental website each paper distributed at the meeting.

Joan Ruddock: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State, supported by two DECC officials, participated in the UN Climate Change summit.
	All papers distributed at the summit can be found on the UN website:
	http://www.un.org/wcm/content/site/climatechange/lang/en/pages/2009summit

Climate Change: Publications

Charles Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change pursuant to the written ministerial statement of 25 June 2009,  Official Report, column 66WS, on the road to Copenhagen (public awareness), how many copies of the pamphlet are to be printed; how those copies are being distributed; and what the cost of the preparation and publication programme is.

Joan Ruddock: I can confirm that the overall cost of the Road to Copenhagen leaflet was approximately 34,000 exclusive of VAT. This includes design, typesetting, printing and distribution of 46,000 copies. The leaflet is being distributed in hard copy or electronic format to a range of outlets, including educational establishments, public libraries, citizens advice bureaux, trade unions, business-related outlets, MPs and other key stakeholders.

Climate Change: South East

Michael Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what recent assessment he has made of the likely effects of climate change on  (a) Hertfordshire and  (b) the South East in the next 10 years.

Joan Ruddock: In 2005, the regional climate change partnerships, working with the UK Climate Impacts Programme, published 'Measuring Progress'. The report assessed the impacts of climate change by region, including the East and the South East, and included some indicative assessments of the impacts on activities from climate change.
	On 18 June 2009, the Government published the latest UK Climate Projections. These projections show the potential changes in climate for the UK for a range of probabilities, climate variables and emissions scenarios. Results can give detail down to a 25 kilometre square grid. This data are freely available to all to make their own assessments of the likely effects of climate change. To support organisations in using the projections, the Government are providing a training package, Projections in Practice, which includes a programme of events in each region. Regional events have been organised in coordination with regional climate change partnerships. The events in the East of England will be held from 12-16 October 2009, and the events in the South East of England are from 2-6 November 2009.
	Looking to the future, work has now begun on the first statutory national Climate Change Risk Assessment (CCRA), to report by January 2012. All regions will have an important input.
	Alongside this work, the Government have now begun the Adaptation Economic Assessment, which will analyse the high level economic costs and benefits of adapting to climate change in the UK. The project will include information by English region, but not by individual county boundary. It is also due to report in 2012.

Climate Change: South East

Michael Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what steps he plans to take to assist people in  (a) Hertfordshire and  (b) the South East to adapt their domestic circumstances to take account of the effects of climate change.

Joan Ruddock: The aim of the Government's Adapting to Climate Change Programme is to help people adapt to the effects of climate change by providing robust evidence on the effects of climate change and embedding adaptation into policies, plans and programmes. The programme seeks to achieve this by building capacity in organisations who are the most able to take long term adaptation decisions. This includes local Government via mechanisms such as National Indicator 188Planning to Adapt to Climate Changewithin the local Government performance framework to enable them to support individuals to adapt to future climate changes through local programmes.
	On 18 June 2009, the Government published the latest UK Climate Projections. These projections show the potential changes in climate for the UK for a range of probabilities, climate variables and emissions scenarios. This data are freely available to all to make their own assessments of the likely effects of climate change. To support organisations in using the projections, the Government are providing a training package, Projections in Practice, which started in July and runs until March 2010. The programme includes a series of national events for specific sectors and also includes, from September, a programme of events in each region, including the South East and East of England.
	To support adaptation locally and regionally, the Government have established a local and regional programme managed by a board of key local and regional organisations. The South East regional partnership, Climate South East, is represented on the board, as are regional climate change partnerships as a whole. The board manages a small programme of projects to develop guidance and tools to help local authorities, regional climate change partnerships and others to support communities to take account of the effects of climate change.
	The Climate Change Partnership for the East of England has been working closely with representatives from Hertfordshire. It has had particular advice and support from the sustainability team at Hertfordshire county council in shaping and defining the partnership and its work programme activities.
	Further information on the board and the Government's Adapting to Climate Change Programme is located on the Programme website at:
	www.defra.gov.uk/adaptation

Coal: Industrial Health and Safety

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many coal health compensation claims have been made by each solicitors' firm on behalf of claimants resident in Bassetlaw constituency who are potentially eligible for a services claim.

David Kidney: The number of coal health compensation schemes that were eligible for services claim is shown in the following table as at 4 October 2009. The figures include services claim made under chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and vibration white finger.
	
		
			  Claimants' Representatives  Location  Number of claims  Claim eligible for services  Claim eligible for services that have been settled 
			 Ashton Morton Slack LLP AMS (UDM claims only) 500 260 254 
			 Ashton Morton Slack LLP Sheffield 3 2 2 
			 Atherton and Godfrey Solicitors Doncaster 1 0 0 
			 Atteys Retford 136 105 103 
			 Atteys Rotherham 46 41 41 
			 Avalon Solicitors (ceased trading) Warrington 5 1 1 
			 Bakewells Derby 1 0 0 
			 Banner Jones Chesterfield 3 3 3 
			 Barber Cartain Solicitors (ceased trading) Manchester 1 0 0 
			 Bell Dallman and Co. Doncaster 4 4 4 
			 Beresfords Solicitors Doncaster 158 73 73 
			 Beresfords Solicitors Doncaster (UDM only) 569 247 243 
			 BHP Law Belmont 8 7 7 
			 Branton Bridge Manchester 4 4 4 
			 BRM Solicitors Chesterfield (UDM claims only) 1 1 1 
			 Browell Smith and Co. Newcastle upon Tyne 34 22 21 
			 BurroughsDay Solicitors Bristol 3 2 2 
			 Colemans Solicitors Manchester 6 2 2 
			 Corries York York 13 6 6 
			 Davis Blank Furniss Hadfield 1 0 0 
			 Davis Blank Furniss Manchester 4 4 4 
			 Dean Thomas and Co. Solicitors Worksop 3 1 1 
			 Farleys Solicitors Burnley 4 2 2 
			 Flint Bishop and Barnett Solicitors Derby 1 0 0 
			 Foy and Co.  1 1 1 
			 Foys Solicitors Worksop 43 36 35 
			 Gorman Hamilton Solicitors Newcastle upon Tyne 8 8 8 
			 Gorvin Smith Fort Solicitors Stockport 9 6 6 
			 Grainger Appleyard and Fleming Doncaster 1 1 1 
			 Graysons Solicitors Sheffield 610 462 452 
			 Hamers Solicitors Hull 1 1 1 
			 Hickmotts Solicitors Rotherham 23 16 16 
			 Holmes and Hills Solicitors Great Dunmow 1 0 0 
			 Hopkins Eden Court, Mansfield 97 84 84 
			 Hopkins Mansfield 1 1 1 
			 Hopkins  4 1 1 
			 Hugh James Cardiff 3 3 3 
			 Ilett and Clark Solicitors Nottingham 4 3 3 
			 Ingrams Solicitors Hessle (VWF only) 3 2 2 
			 Irwin Mitchell Solicitors Sheffield 98 77 77 
			 Keeble Hawson Doncaster 39 32 31 
			 Keeble Hawson Moorhouse Sheffield 67 46 46 
			 Kenyon Son and Craddock 32 South Parade 1 1 1 
			 Kidd and Spoor Harper Solicitors Newcastle upon Tyne 163 113 110 
			 Kingslegal Cardiff 1 0 0 
			 Lloyd Green Solicitors Glasgow (UDM only) 1 0 0 
			 Lopian Wagner Solicitors Manchester 4 0 0 
			 Mark Gilbert Morse Newcastle upon Tyne 3 2 2 
			 Marrons Solicitors Newcastle upon Tyne 1 0 0 
			 McArdles Solicitors Hartlepool 3 0 0 
			 Meloy Whittle Robinson Preston 10 4 4 
			 Mincoffs Solicitors Newcastle upon Tyne 3 2 2 
			 Morrish and Co. Solicitors Leeds 4 3 3 
			 Mortons Solicitors Sunderland 12 1 1 
			 Moss Solicitors Loughborough 13 9 9 
			 Moss Solicitors Moss UDM Claims Only 501 263 252 
			 O. H. Parsons and Partners Solicitors London 199 161 159 
			 Oxley and Coward Solicitors Rotherham 37 32 32 
			 Pannone and Partners Solicitors Manchester 4 3 3 
			 Parker Rhodes Solicitors Rotherham 1 1 1 
			 Pinto Potts Solicitors Aldershot 1 0 0 
			 Raleys Solicitors Barnsley 239 168 167 
			 Richard J. Knaggs and Co. Redcar 2 2 2 
			 Robinson and Murphy Solicitors Newcastle 1 1 1 
			 Robinson King Solicitors (ceased trading) Stockport 19 19 19 
			 Russell Jones and Walker Solicitors Sheffield 2 2 2 
			 Saffmans Solicitors Leeds 9 6 5 
			 Sedgwick Phelan and Partners Middleton, Manchester 1 1 1 
			 Shaw and Co. Solicitors Doncaster 16 11 11 
			 Shaw and Co. Solicitors Newcastle upon Tyne 4 2 2 
			 Simpson Millar Solicitors Leeds 3 3 3 
			 Stanton Croft Estate Agents and Solicitors Newcastle upon Tyne 2 0 0 
			 Stuart Bell and Associates Worksop 143 112 112 
			 The Quigley Partnership (ceased trading) Bolton (do not use) 1 1 0 
			 The Smith Partnership Derby 1 0 0 
			 Thompsons Solicitors Manchester 2 2 1 
			 Thompsons Solicitors Newcastle upon Tyne 26 22 22 
			 Thompsons Solicitors Nottingham 1 0 0 
			 Thornleys Huddersfield 2 1 1 
			 TLW Solicitors North Shields 29 10 10 
			 Towells Solicitors Wakefield 49 31 29 
			 Tracey Barlow Furniss and Co. Retford 1 1 1 
			 Tracey Barlow Furniss and Co. Worksop 9 3 3 
			 Twigg Farnell Solicitors (ceased trading) Rotherham 4 4 4 
			 Union of Democratic Mineworkers Mansfield 1,009 698 693 
			 Wake Smith and Tofields Solicitors Sheffield 6 3 3 
			 Walker and Co. Solicitors. Rotherham 1 1 0 
			 Watson and Brown Solicitors South Shields 1 0 0 
			 Watson Burton LLP Newcastle upon Tyne 131 114 113 
			 Total  5,198 3,380 3,326

Coal: Industrial Health and Safety

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many Smith v. Manchester awards have been made to residents of Bassetlaw constituency represented by each solicitors' firm.

David Kidney: The number of awards for Smith v. Manchester for Vibration White Finger (VWF) under the Coal Health Compensation schemes made to former coal miners and their families at Bassetlaw constituency broken down by claimants' representative is shown in the following table as at 4 October 2009.
	We are unable to provide the awards for Smith  v. Manchester paid under Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease scheme as these figures are included within the schedule 11 calculations under the term of the Claims Handling Agreement, and it is not possible to isolate them.
	
		
			  Claimants' representative  Location  Number of VWF claims awarded Smith v. Manchester 
			 Ashton Morton Slack LLP AMS UDM claims only 168 
			 Atteys Retford 57 
			 Atteys Rotherham 32 
			 Avalon SolicitorsCeased trading Warrington 1 
			 Bell Dallman and Co Doncaster 4 
			 Beresfords Solicitors Doncaster 53 
			 Beresfords Solicitors Doncaster (UDM only) 179 
			 BHP LAW Belmont 4 
			 Branton Bridge Manchester 4 
			 BRM Solicitors ChesterfieldUDM claims only 1 
			 Browell Smith  Co Newcastle Upon Tyne 7 
			 Colemans Solicitors Manchester 1 
			 Conies York York 3 
			 Flint Bishop  Barnett Solicitors Derby 1 
			 Foy  Co  1 
			 Foys Solicitors Worksop 19 
			 Gorman Hamilton Solicitors Newcastle Upon Tyne 7 
			 Graysons Solicitors Sheffield 244 
			 Hickmotts Solicitors Rotherham 14 
			 Hopkins  1 
			 Hopkins Eden Court, Mansfield 34 
			 Hopkins Mansfield 1 
			 Ilett  Clark Solicitors Nottingham 2 
			 Irwin Mitchell Solicitors Sheffield 49 
			 Keeble Hawson Doncaster 4 
			 Keeble Hawson Moorhouse Sheffield 31 
			 Kidd  Spoor Harper Solicitors Newcastle Upon Tyne 58 
			 Mark Gilbert Morse Newcastle Upon Tyne 1 
			 Meloy Whittle Robinson Preston 1 
			 Morrish  Co Solicitors Leeds 1 
			 Mortons Solicitors Sunderland 1 
			 Moss Solicitors Loughborough 5 
			 Moss Solicitors Moss UDM claims only 145 
			 0. H. Parsons  Partners Solicitors London 101 
			 Oxley  Coward Solicitors Rotherham 11 
			 Pannone  Partners Solicitors Manchester 2 
			 Parker Rhodes Solicitors Rotherham 1 
			 Raleys Solicitors Barnsley 98 
			 Robinson King SolicitorsCeased trading Stockport 6 
			 Russell Jones  Walker Solicitors Sheffield 2 
			 Saffmans Solicitors Leeds 3 
			 Shaw  Co Solicitors Doncaster 11 
			 Shaw  Co Solicitors Newcastle upon Tyne 2 
			 Stuart Bell  Associates Worksop 52 
			 Thompsons Solicitors Manchester 1 
			 Thompsons Solicitors Newcastle Upon Tyne 12 
			 Thornleys Huddersfield 1 
			 TLW Solicitors North Shields 2 
			 Towells Solicitors Wakefield 15 
			 Tracey Barlow Furniss  Co Worksop 3 
			 Twigg Farnell SolicitorsCeased trading Rotherham 2 
			 Union of Democratic Mineworkers Mansfield 349 
			 Wake Smith  Tofields Solicitors Sheffield 4 
			 Watson Burton LLP Newcastle Upon Tyne 83 
			 Total  1,895

Coal: Industrial Health and Safety

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many Smith  v. Manchester awards have been paid to claimants represented by the 50 solicitors' firms which have submitted the highest number of claims under the coal health compensation scheme.

David Kidney: The number of Smith  v. Manchester awards made to claimants represented by the 50 claimants' representative who have submitted the highest number of claims under the coal health compensation scheme is shown in the following table as at 4 October 2009.
	We are unable to provide the awards for Smith  v. Manchester paid under chronic obstructive pulmonary disease scheme as these figures are included within the schedule 11 calculations under the term of the Claims Handling Agreement, and it is not possible to isolate them.
	
		
			  Claimants' representative  Location  Claims awarded Smith v. Manchester 
			 Browell Smith and Co Newcastle upon Tyne 4,424 
			 Union of Democratic Mineworkers Mansfield 3,293 
			 Raleys Solicitors Barnsley 3,841 
			 Thompsons Solicitors Newcastle upon Tyne 2,998 
			 Hugh James Cardiff 2,523 
			 Graysons Solicitors Sheffield 2,769 
			 Beresfords Solicitors Doncaster (UDM only) 1,857 
			 Watson Burton LLP Newcastle upon Tyne 2,274 
			 Thompsons Solicitors Edinburgh (Scottish claims only) 1,078 
			 Towells Solicitors Wakefield 1,726 
			 Ashton Morton Slack LLP AMS (UDM claims only) 1,414 
			 Moss Solicitors Moss (UDM claims only) 1,436 
			 Beresfords Solicitors Doncaster 1,276 
			 Thompsons Solicitors  778 
			 Kidd and Spoor Harper Solicitors Newcastle upon Tyne 1,406 
			 Atteys Rotherham 1,295 
			 O. H. Parsons and Partners Solicitors London 937 
			 Irwin Mitchell Solicitors Sheffield 790 
			 Saffmans Solicitors Leeds 983 
			 Moss Solicitors Loughborough 785 
			 Kingslegal Cardiff 429 
			 Latham and Co. Solicitors Leicester 814 
			 Shaw and Co. Solicitors Doncaster 835 
			 Conies Solicitors Glasgow (Scottish claims only) 562 
			 McLeish Carswell Glasgow (Scottish claims only) 174 
			 Oxley and Coward Solicitors Rotherham 526 
			 Randell Lloyd Jenkins and Martin Llanelli 272 
			 Mortons Solicitors Sunderland 364 
			 T. S. Edwards and Son Solicitors Ystrad Mynach 410 
			 Hickmotts Solicitors Rotherham 594 
			 Morisons Solicitors Edinburgh (Scottish claims only) 378 
			 Thompson and Co. Solicitors Sunderland 343 
			 Matrons Solicitors Newcastle upon Tyne 254 
			 Gorman Hamilton Solicitors Newcastle upon Tyne 450 
			 Hopkins Eden Court, Mansfield 298 
			 Meloy Whittle Robinson Preston 221 
			 Keeble Hawson Moorhouse Sheffield 175 
			 TLW Solicitors North Shields 181 
			 Furley Page Canterbury 294 
			 Corries York York 278 
			 Gabb and Co. Powys 236 
			 Russell Young Solicitors (do not use) Newcastle upon Tyne 0 
			 Endlars Solicitors 86A Bury Old Road 123 
			 Keeble Hawson Doncaster 119 
			 Shaw and Co. Solicitors Newcastle upon Tyne 230 
			 Gorvin Smith Fort Solicitors Stockport 114 
			 Branton Bridge Manchester 104 
			 Mincoffs Solicitors Newcastle upon Tyne 91 
			 Ross Harper Solicitors Glasgow (Scottish claims only) 7 
			 BHP Law Belmont 113 
			 Total  46,872

Departmental Advertising

Pete Wishart: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how much his Department spent on newspaper advertising carried in each newspaper in the most recent year for which figures are available.

Joan Ruddock: On the Department's key public campaign, ACT ON C02 we have spent approximately 1.6 million on newspaper advertising, between September 2008 and July 2009. The following tables outline spend by newspaper title. Figures are quoted exclusive of VAT.
	
		
			  September 2008 to March 2009 
			   Totals () 
			 Associated Newspapers Ltd 396,258 
			  Daily Mail 130,459 
			  Mail on Sunday 265,799 
			   
			 Guardian Media Group 36,100 
			  The Guardian 19,400 
			  The Observer 16,700 
			   
			 Independent Newspapers UK Ltd 15,044 
			  The Independent 8,994 
			  The Independent on Sunday 6,050 
			   
			 IPC Media 74,512 
			  TV Times Magazine 19,557 
			  What's on TV 54,955 
			   
			 News International 527,900 
			  News of the World 144,621 
			  The Sun 138,589 
			  The Sunday Times 142,608 
			  The Times 102,082 
			   
			 Northern  Shell 139,682 
			  Daily Express 65,895 
			  Daily Star 25,240 
			  Daily Star on Sunday 4,500 
			  Sunday Express 44,047 
			   
			 Telegraph Group Limited 69,100 
			  Daily Telegraph 50,780 
			  Sunday Telegraph 18,320 
			   
			 The Publishing Consultancy 10,094 
			  Take a Break 10,094 
			   
			 Trinity PLC 188,784 
			  Daily Mirror 77,463 
			  Sunday Mirror 100,821 
			  Sunday People 10,500 
			   
			 Totals 1,457,474 
		
	
	
		
			  June and July 2009 
			   Totals () 
			 Associated Newspapers Ltd 33,000 
			  Mail on Sunday 33,000 
			   
			 Guardian Media Group 6,400 
			  The Guardian 6,400 
			   
			 Independent Newspapers UK Ltd 3,800 
			  The Independent 3,800 
			   
			 IPC Media 26,238 
			  What's on TV 26,238 
			   
			 News International 41,532 
			  The Sun 30,332 
			  The Times 11,200 
			   
			 Totals 110,970 
		
	
	Details of DECC's recruitment advertising is as follows.
	
		
			   
			  Adverts  Ratecard cost  Cost to DECC( 1) 
			  Senior Policy Leads 11553/Policy Advisers 11556   
			  Guardian (Wednesday/Saturday) 12,862.50 11,576.25 
			 Public SectorManagement   
			 Half Page TeaserThe Environmentalist + Editorial + Button 9,420.00 4,250.00 
			 8x10 Colour Taster in  the Telegraph 10,000.00 7,000.00 
			 8x8 Colour Taster in  the Times (Tuesday/Friday) 4,500.00 4,000.00 
			
			 Online Premium Listings 950.00 855.00 
			 Online Premium Listings 950.00 855.00 
			 OnlineKeyword Sponsor for one weekPolicy 650.00 585.00 
			 GGAN Widget 1 month 650.00 585.00 
			 Behavioural Targeting content/keyword activated 1 month 1,000.00 900.00 
			
			 www.iema.net 0.00 0.00 
			 W4MP 0.00 0.00 
			 (Diverse Employers)jobsbuster.com 400.00 375.00 
			 (Diverse Employers)jobsbuster.com 400.00 375.00 
			 Stonewall Online 200.00 200.00 
			 Stonewall Online 200.00 200.00 
			 Thepinkpaper Online 250.00 250.00 
			 Thepinkpaper Online 250.00 250.00 
			 Disability Now 500.00 500.00 
			 Disability Now 500.00 500.00 
			 environmentjob.co.uk/carbonjobs 149.00 149.00 
			 environmentjob.co.uk/carbonjobs 149.00 149.00 
			 Londonjobs 350.00 350.00 
			 Londonjobs 350.00 350.00 
			   34,254.25 
			 10% off  Guardian 
		
	
	
		
			  Adverts  Cost to DECC( 1 ) () 
			  Policy Manager (Grade 7) 11554 / Senior Policy Advisers 11555 (SEO)  
			  Guardian (Wednesday/Saturday) 11,576.25 
			 Public SectorManagement  
			   
			 8x8 Colour Taster in  the Times (Tuesday/Friday) 4,000.00 
			   
			 Guardian Online Premium ListingGrade 7 855.00 
			 Guardian Online Premium ListingSEO 855.00 
			 OnlineKeyword Sponsor for one weekPolicy 585.00 
			 GGAN Widget 1 month 585.00 
			 Behavioural Targeting content/keyword activated 1 month 900.00 
			 Homepage MPU 1 Week 1,170.00 
			   
			 www.iema.net 0.00 
			 W4MP 0.00 
			 (Diverse Employers) jobsbuster.com 375.00 
			 (Diverse Employers) jobsbuster.com 375.00 
			 Stonewall Online 200.00 
			 Stonewall Online 200.00 
			 Thepinkpaper 0nline 250.00 
			 Thepinkpaper Online 250.00 
			 Disability Now 500.00 
			 Disability Now 500.00 
			 environmentjob.co.uk/carbonjobs 149.00 
			 environmentjob.co.uk/carbonjobs 149.00 
			 Londonjobs 350.00 
			 Londonjobs 350.00 
			  24,174.25 
			 (1) 10 per cent. off  Guardian

Departmental Buildings

Greg Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change pursuant to the answer of 26 March 2009,  Official Report, column 704W, on departmental reorganisation, when he expects the second phase of his Department's staff moves into 3 Whitehall Place to  (a) begin and  (b) be completed.

Joan Ruddock: The Department's second phase of staff moves is expected to begin in November 2009 and be completed in December 2009.

Departmental Buildings

Greg Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change pursuant to the answer of 26 March 2009,  Official Report, column 704W, on departmental reorganisation, how many of his Department's London-based staff were based in premises other than 3 Whitehall Place on completion of the first phase of moves of his Department's staff.

Joan Ruddock: The number of London-based staff based in premises other than 3 Whitehall Place on completion of the first phase of moves was approximately 25.

Departmental Buildings

Greg Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change pursuant to the answer of 26 March 2009,  Official Report, column 704W, on departmental reorganisation, how many staff moved into 3 Whitehall Place as part of his Department's first phase of staff moves.

Joan Ruddock: The Department moved approximately 973 staff into 3 Whitehall Place as part of the first phase of staff moves.

Departmental Contracts

Charles Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change pursuant to the answer of 20 April 2009,  Official Report, column 306W, on departmental public relations, what the value of his Department's contract with Kreab Gavin Anderson  (a) was in 2008-09 and  (b) is in 2009-10.

Joan Ruddock: The Kreab Gavin Anderson contract is for up to 320,000 for the period 9 May 2008 to 31 March 2010 inclusive. The contract is to provide expert advice on the impact of proposed policy changes on renewable finance and investment prospects, as well as a range of briefing, seminars, meetings and wider awareness raising with investors and trade media, on developments in renewable energy policy.

Departmental Finance

Greg Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change when he expects the budget for  (a) the Carbon Trust and  (b) the Energy Saving Trust for 2009-10 to be finalised.

Joan Ruddock: The Carbon Trust's and Energy Saving Trust's budgets for 2009-10 have been finalised and agreed.
	The Energy Saving Trust will receive 38.5 million in grant funding from DECC to deliver its objective to encourage and promote the sustainable and efficient use of energy in households and 1 million capital funding for technological field trials.
	In 2009-10, the Carbon Trust's funding from DECC will be up to 84.53 million. In addition, the Carbon Trust will receive funding in 2009-10 specifically to deliver low interest loans to SMEs, and to public sector bodies through Salix Finance, as announced in Budget 2009. Total funding for these schemes in 2009-10 is up to 121.6 million. The Carbon Trust may also receive further funding for specific activities from the low carbon investment funding announced in Budget 2009.

Departmental ICT

Greg Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what IT projects are being undertaken by  (a) the Coal Authority,  (b) the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority,  (c) the United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority,  (d) the Advisory Committee on Carbon Abatement Technologies,  (e) the Fuel Poverty Advisory Group,  (f) the Renewables Advisory Board,  (g) the UK Chemical Weapons Convention National Authority Advisory Committee,  (h) the Committee on Climate Change,  (i) the Committee on Radioactive Waste Management and  (j) the Office of Gas and Electricity Markets; what the most recent estimate of the cost of each project is; and what the projected completion date of each is.

David Kidney: No IT projects are currently being undertaken by the Advisory Committee on Carbon Abatement Technologies, the Fuel Poverty Advisory Group, the Renewables Advisory Board, the UK Chemical Weapons Convention National Authority Advisory Committee and the Committee on Climate Change.
	The Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA) is responsible for 19 sites formally owned by the United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority and British Nuclear Fuels Ltd. The NDA currently spends approximately 58 million a year on IT across its estate, through a mixture of in house and contracted services. The NDA has recently initiated a collaborative project across its estate to tender the provision of IT services across the NDA estate. New contractual arrangements are expected to be in place by 31 March 2011.
	The Committee on Radioactive Waste Management is currently developing and maintaining a website. Development should be completed by January 2010. Its budget can be viewed at:
	http://www.corwm.org.uk/PagesPlenary%20Meetings/2589%20%20April%20Budget%20Report%20Final.pdf
	The Coal Authority has commenced work on one major IT project named Inferis with a value of 6.5 million. The project is due to be completed by May 2011.
	Ofgem is currently undertaking the following IT projects:
	
		
			  Project title  Completion date  Estimated cost () 
			 Markets Electricity Database 1 March 2010 155,695 
			 Networks Database 1 April 2010 143,397 
			 Carbon Emissions Reduction Targets 1 January 2010 46,000 
			 Community Energy Savings Programme 1 April 2010 1,025,000 
			 Project Feed-In Tariffs 1 April 2010 700,000 
		
	
	The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills has lead responsibility for the UK Atomic Energy Authority. UKAEA currently has no major IT projects under way.

Departmental Marketing

Greg Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how much his Department and its predecessors spent on the Act on CO2 campaign in each year since the campaign was initiated; and what the budget for the campaign is in  (a) 2008-09 and  (b) 2009-10.

Joan Ruddock: The costs for the ACT ON CO2 campaign since 2007 are as follows.
	2007-08: 5.5 million.
	2008-09: 13 million (budgeted).
	2009-10: 370,000 (committed between April and July 2009). We are considering our campaign plans for the rest of 2009-10.

Departmental Marketing

Greg Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what advertising campaigns his Department is running; and what the estimated total cost is of each.

Joan Ruddock: ACT ON CO2 is the Department's key public campaign to raise awareness of climate change issues and to encourage sustained behaviour change. Between April 2009 and July 2009, DECC is expected to spend approximately 370,000 on ACT ON CO2 campaign advertising media and production. We are considering our advertising plans for the rest of 2009-10.

Departmental Marketing

Greg Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what advertising campaigns  (a) the Coal Authority,  (b) the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority,  (c) the United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority,  (d) the Advisory Committee on Carbon Abatement Technologies,  (e) the Fuel Poverty Advisory Group,  (f) the Renewables Advisory Board,  (g) the UK Chemical Weapons Convention National Authority Advisory Committee,  (h) the Committee on Climate Change,  (i) the Committee on Radioactive Waste Management and  (j) the Office of Gas and Electricity Markets is running; and what the estimated cost is of each.

David Kidney: The Coal Authority, the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority, the Advisory Committee on Carbon Abatement Technologies, the Fuel Poverty Advisory Group, the Renewables Advisory Board, the Committee on Radioactive Waste Management and the UK Chemical Weapons Convention National Authority Advisory Committee are not currently running any advertising campaigns.
	The Committee on Climate Change spent 500 in the months of May and June 2009 on directing increased traffic to its website via a pay per click Google Adwords campaign. The Committee on Climate Change does not allocate any major part of its budget to be spent on promoting the organisation through advertising.
	Ofgem are currently running the following advertising campaigns:
	
		
			  Advertising campaign  Cost of advertising () 
			 Recruitment: Industry Codes and Licensing Manager 1,570 
			 Recruitment: Senior Manager, Commercial Regulation and Policy 2,400 
			 Recruitment: Senior Manager, New Scheme Development 1,324 
			 Recruitment: Policy Development Manager, New Scheme x 3 1,199 
			 Procurement: Contract for provision of services to Administer the Ofgem Approved Meter Installer Registration (OAMI) Scheme 0 
			 Procurement: Contract for modernisation and ongoing maintenance of 9 Lifts at Ofgem's Millbank Offices 0 
			 Procurement: IT Penetration Testing Contract 0 
			 Total 6,493 
		
	
	The Department for Business Innovation and Skills has lead responsibility for the UK Atomic Energy Authority. UKAEA is running no advertising campaigns apart from recruitment advertising. The one minor exception is that UKAEA Limited have just agreed to pay for a hoarding at Whitehaven Rugby Club.

Departmental Marketing

Greg Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what advertising campaigns  (a) the Energy Saving Trust and  (b) the Carbon Trust are running; and what the estimated cost is of each.

Joan Ruddock: The Energy Saving Trust's key consumer campaign in 2009-10 will continue to position the Trust as the place to go for energy saving advice. The Energy Saving Trust are targeting themselves to get 1.7million customer contacts to view their website and 1.5million customers to contact advice centres.
	This campaign was launched on 12 September with TV being the lead medium, supported by radio and online advertising and PR. The first part of the campaign is planned to run for four weeks until 19 October, which is the start of Energy Saving Week. The second part is planned to run from 4 to 31 January.
	The estimated total cost of these for the whole of this financial year is less than 2.5 million.
	The Carbon Trust's main advertising campaigns this financial year up to March 2010 are:
	(1) Promotion of the interest-free loan fund for small business
	(2) Promotion of support and help to business and the public sector on carbon emission reduction and energy efficiency
	(3) Promotion of support and help to businesses on low carbon innovation
	The estimated total cost of these for the whole of this financial year is 4 million.

Departmental Public Relations

Greg Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change pursuant to the answer of 23 March 2009,  Official Report, columns 172-73W, on Government communications, what the job description is of his Department's marketing officers.

Joan Ruddock: The role of the marketing and campaigns team in DECC is to:
	ensure all marketing and campaigns output is clearly aligned to departmental policy priorities and informed by audience insight/research;
	plan, deliver, co-ordinate all marketing activity, including as appropriate advertising, direct marketing, digital activity, public relations, partnerships and publications;
	ensure all marketing services are procured in accordance with EU procurement policy, demonstrate value for money and that outputs are effectively evaluated; and
	liaise as appropriate with other Government Departments, delivery bodies and other stakeholders to ensure communications are joined up, transparent and effective.

Departmental Responsibilities

Charles Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change pursuant to the answer of 2 April 2009,  Official Report, column 1357W, on departmental responsibilities, what level of gateway review was conducted for each of the projects referred to; on what date the gateway review was concluded in each case; and what the outcome was.

Joan Ruddock: Details of the level of gateway review of the projects2 April 2009,  Official Report, column 1357Ware listed as follows. The outcome of the review is not disclosed on the grounds that it would prejudice the exercise of audit function.
	
		
			  Project  OGC Gate  Date 
			 Nuclear fuel assurance/enrichment bond SGR (starting gateway review) June 2008 
			 Severn tidal power feasibility study 0 September 2008 
			 Government carbon offsetting fund II (currently in progress) 2 March 2009 
			 Carbon capture and storage demonstration project 1 June 2007 
			 Low level waste repository competition 3 and 4 September 2007 and June 2009 
			 Sellafield competition Review 2, 2A, 3 and 4 February 2007, November 2007, September 2008 and scheduled for September 2009 
			 Asset use 0 October 2008

Departmental Standards

Greg Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what stocktake meetings his Department has had with the Prime Minister's Delivery Unit since his Department was established.

Joan Ruddock: The PMDU is in constant contact with Departments as part of its process of taking stock of delivery. It reports regularly to my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister, the Treasury and the Departments concerned.

Electricity Generation

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what steps his Department is taking to promote the uptake of smart grid technologies to generate electricity.

David Kidney: The Department of Energy and Climate Change is already working on key areas of smart networks to ensure it understand the benefits of smart grid technologies for meeting our goals and to encourage deployment in the coming years. Its programme currently consists of:
	 Smart meters:
	A programme to roll out smart meters to every home by end 2020an 8 billion private sector investment. This is one of the building blocks for creating a smart grid.
	 Deploying new technologies:
	Encouraging Distribution Network Operators through regulatory incentives to trial new 'smarter' technologies on their networks. The Office of the Gas and Electricity Markets are proposing to significantly increase the amount of funding available for this.
	 Developing new technologies:
	Providing direct funding for innovation through the Energy Technologies Institute which aims to invest up to l billion over the next 10 years in low carbon energy technologies, including networks. The Government are engaging with the recently established Energy Technologies Institute networks panel that is scoping the objectives they set for a call for projects.
	 Funding research:
	Providing direct funding, through the Research Councils, of over 30 million for collaborative research in networks involving academia and industry. Providing complementary funding of 6 million to supplement other funding for network innovation such as Ofgem's Innovation Funding Incentive among other sources. Government funding for smart grids will be used to support early stage development of trials of key technologies consistent with a vision for a smart grid in the UK to be published later this year.

Electricity: Compensation

David Evennett: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many people have received compensation payments under the Guaranteed Standards Scheme from electricity companies in the last 12 months.

Joan Ruddock: holding answer 9 September 2009
	The number of people receiving compensation payments under the Guaranteed Standards Scheme for 2007-08 is:
	
		
			  Electricity Guaranteed Standard of Performance (EGS)  Number of payments made  Value of payments 
			 EGS1 101 2,020 
			 EGS2 9,973 (1)2,717,691 
			 EGS2A 842 42,100 
			 EGS3 23 2,040 
			 EGS4 814 16,280 
			 EGS5 11 220 
			 EGS8 96 1,920 
			 EGS9 60 1,200 
			 EGS11A 594 14,850 
			 EGS11B 124 3,100 
			 EGS11C 0 (1)142,050 
			 EGS12 0 0 
			 (1) Figures that Distribution Network Operators (DNOs) reported in their annual revenue returns as normal compensation payments due across the 14 DNOs. This includes ex-gratia payments from the 14 DNOs to consumers who failed to claim under the EGS. 
		
	
	Page 37 of the following link details what each EGS covers:
	http://www.ofgem.gov.uk/Networks/ElecDist/QualofServ/QoSIncent/Documents1/12180-258_05.pdf

Electricity: Consumption

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what steps his Department is taking to support the  (a) development and  (b) uptake of dynamic demand technology in the UK; and if he will make a statement.

David Kidney: The Department is assessing the potential for such technology to help us achieve our energy policy goals. We recently published a call for evidence on Delivering Secure Low Carbon Electricity which focused in part on how to make electricity demand smarter, including through the use of dynamic demand devices. The call for evidence closes at the end of October.

Electricity: Consumption

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what recent discussions he has had with  (a) utility companies and  (b) domestic appliance manufacturers on dynamic demand technology; and if he will make a statement.

David Kidney: I have invited stakeholders to submit analysis about the potential for dynamic demand through DECC's recent call for evidence Delivering Secure Low Carbon Electricity and hope that the utility companies and domestic appliance manufacturers will use this opportunity to represent their views. The call for evidence closes at the end of October.

Electricity: Prices

Greg Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what the average price of  (a) a unit of gas and  (b) a kWh of electricity supplied to households in the UK was in (i) 2006, (ii) 2007 and (iii) each month of 2008; and what information his Department holds for benchmarking purposes on equivalent figures for each other EU member state.

David Kidney: The Department's latest estimates for the average annual domestic energy bills and provisional estimates for the year to 2009 and are published in Quarterly Energy Prices, published in September 2009.
	For an average consumer using 18,000 kWh of gas per year and paying their bills on receipt (standard credit), the average unit price for gas was 2.63 in 2006, 3.07 in 2007, 3.17 in 2008 and 3.99 in 2009.
	For an average consumer using 3,300 kWh of electricity per year and paying their bills on receipt (standard credit), the average unit price for electricity was 10.24 in 2006, 11.61 in 2007, 12.26 in 2008 and 13.94 in 2009. Average unit prices per month are not available.
	Regarding unit prices of gas and electricity in other EU member states, DECC republishes bi-annual data collected by Eurostat, the European statistical agency. The data are in Table 5.6.2 and 5.10.2 of Quarterly Energy Prices, published in September 2009 and available online at:
	http://decc.gov.uk/en/content/cms/statistics/publications/prices/prices.aspx
	Latest data, for July to December 2008, show that UK domestic gas and electricity prices were the lowest and seventh lowest in the EU 15 (the original 15 EU member states) respectively.

Electricity: Prices

Greg Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what the average expenditure on  (a) gas and  (b) electricity of a household in the UK was in (i) 2006, (ii) 2007 and (iii) each month of 2008; and what information his Department holds for benchmarking purposes on equivalent figures for each other EU member state.

David Kidney: The Department's latest estimates for the average annual domestic energy bills and provisional estimates for the year to 2009 and are published in Quarterly Energy Prices, published in September 2009.
	For an average consumer using 18,000 kWh of gas per year and paying their bills on receipt (standard credit), the average annual bill for gas was 474 in 2006, 552 in 2007, 570 in 2008 and 719 in 2009.
	For an average consumer using 3,300 kWh of electricity per year and paying their bills on receipt (standard credit), the average annual bill for electricity was 338 in 2006, 383 in 2007, 405 in 2008 and 460 in 2009. Average bills per month are not available.
	DECC does not hold any information on average expenditure on gas and electricity by other EU member states. However regarding unit prices of gas and electricity in other EU member states, DECC republishes bi-annual data collected by Eurostat, the European statistical agency. The data are in Table 5.6.2 and 5.10.2 of Quarterly Energy Prices, published in September 2009 and available online at:
	http://decc.gov.uk/en/content/cms/statistics/publications/prices/prices.aspx
	Latest data, for July to December 2008, show that UK domestic gas and electricity prices were the lowest and seventh lowest in the EU 15 (the original 15 EU member states) respectively.

Electricity: Storage

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what his Department's policy is on the development of  (a) grid scale energy storage and  (b) energy balancing technologies; and if he will make a statement.

David Kidney: DECC's recently published Delivering Secure Low Carbon Electricity: A Call for Evidence asks for evidence from stakeholders on the potential of electrical energy storage to manage the balance between electricity supply and demand in the long-term.

Energy Best Deal

Greg Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change pursuant to the answer of 23 March 2009,  Official Report, column 171W, on energy: consumers, how much funding  (a) his Department and  (b) Ofgem allocated to the Energy Best Deal pilot.

David Kidney: The Department provided funding of 150,000 for the national roll-out of the Energy Best Deal in England and Wales during the winter of 2008-09. Ofgem funded the pilot phase in 2007-08, which cost 27,000.

Energy Savings Trust

Charles Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what the budget of the Energy Saving Trust was in  (a) 2007-08,  (b) 2008-09 and  (c) 2009-10; what it is planned to be in 2010-11; and how much of that funding was from his Department in each year.

Joan Ruddock: The Energy Saving Trust (EST) is a not-for-profit private company limited by guarantee, and so their accounts are a matter of public record and are accessible at Companies House.
	The following table highlights what DECC, and previously DEFRA, has given in funding to the EST for the valuable work it undertakes to encourage and promote the sustainable and efficient use of energy.
	
		
			   million 
			   Resource funding  Capital funding 
			 2007-08 29.8 0 
			 2008-09 35.2 1 
			 2009-10 38.5 1 
		
	
	The funding allocation for future years has not yet been confirmed.

Energy Supply: Meters

Charles Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what his most recent estimate is of the proportion of customers using a pre-payment meter who have a household income below 60 per cent. of median income.

David Kidney: In England in 2006, around 30 per cent. of households using a pre-payment meter for either their gas, electricity or both utilities had an income below 60 per cent. of the median.
	The income measures used to derive the estimates employ the same methodology as the Department for Work and Pensions publication 'Households Below Average Income' series, which uses net disposable household income, adjusted (or equivalised) for household size and composition, as an income measure as a proxy for standard of living. Small differences in the definition of income will exist because of the use of a different survey source.

Energy: Housing

Charles Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what progress has been made towards establishing a one-stop green homes service since the Prime Minister's announcement of the initiative in November 2007.

Joan Ruddock: Following my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister's announcement in November 2007, the Energy Saving Trust (EST) has established the Government funded Act on CO2 advice line and nationwide network of regional advice centres. The 'one-stop-shop' offers consumers a range of free and impartial advice on energy efficiency, microgeneration and renewable energy, low carbon transport, water efficiency and waste reduction and a range of independent services and sources of funding that will help them action that advice.
	The EST will also be contacting all households with properties that have received the lowest home energy ratings (F and G ratings) in their Energy Performance Certificates, to offer tailored advice on energy savings measures that could be taken.

Energy: International Cooperation

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what recent steps the Government has taken with international partners to achieve a low carbon global economy.

Joan Ruddock: The UK Government are committed to a low carbon global economy. Internationally, we are working through fora including the G8, G20 and Major Economies Forum, to stimulate a low carbon recovery and support a transition to a low carbon economy.
	This was a key priority for the G20 London summit, chaired by the Prime Minister. The summit communiqu makes building a green and sustainable economy one of the six core commitments of economic recovery made by the G20 countries, and 'accelerating the transition to a green economy' one of the goals of fiscal expansion. G20 leaders also agreed a strong commitment to achieving an international climate change agreement at Copenhagenthe first time all major countries have collectively done so. Achieving an ambitious agreement will be an important step towards creating an international framework which supports a low carbon global economy.

Fuel Poverty

Greg Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how much his Department plans to spend on the reductions of fuel poverty in the next three years.

David Kidney: The Department's fuel poverty budget for the current spending round (2008-11) was 400 million in 2008-09, 374 million in the current year and 200 million in 2010-11. The fuel poverty budget beyond 2010-11 will be subject to the normal Government spending review process.

Hartlepool Power Station

Charles Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what progress has been made on the Health and Safety Executive's Nuclear Directorate's investigation into the high-pressure backup cooling water pump event of 20 June 2008 at Hartlepool nuclear power station; and if he will make a statement.

David Kidney: The investigation by the Health and Safety Executive's Nuclear Directorate into this incident is complete. The incident is classified as level 1 under the International Atomic Energy Agency's International Nuclear Events Scale. This level is defined as an anomaly beyond the authorised operating regime and is one class above the lowest category of 0. The facility operator, British Energy, is legally obliged by its nuclear site licence to provide adequate arrangements for investigating incidents on the site and conducted an investigation into the June 2008 incident. In line with its established policy for such incidents, the Nuclear Directorate's investigation consisted of a review of British Energy's own investigation and concluded that this was satisfactory. The key change made as a result of the investigation was that British Energy put in place improvements to its maintenance arrangements at Hartlepool nuclear power station.

Heysham 1 Power Station

Charles Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what progress has been made on the Health and Safety Executive's Nuclear Directorate's investigation into the interlock event at Heysham 1 nuclear power station on 25 June 2008; and if he will make a statement.

David Kidney: The investigation by the Health and Safety Executive's Nuclear Directorate into this incident is complete. The incident is classified as level 1 under the International Atomic Energy Agency's International Nuclear Events Scale. This level is defined as an anomaly beyond the authorised operating regime and is one class above the lowest category of 0. The facility operator, British Energy, is legally obliged by its nuclear site licence to provide adequate arrangements for investigating incidents on the site and conducted an investigation into the June 2008 incident. In line with its established policy for such incidents, the Nuclear Directorate's investigation consisted of a review of British Energy's own investigation and concluded that this was satisfactory. The key change made as a result of the investigation was that British Energy put in place improvements to its control of maintenance activities at Heysham 1 nuclear power station.

Job Creation

Greg Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what estimate he has made of the number of jobs in the low carbon and environmental goods and services industries to be created as a consequence of the fiscal stimulus announced in the 2008 Pre-Budget Report.

Joan Ruddock: The Government have not made a formal assessment of the number of new jobs created by specific measures announced in the pre-Budget report. However, independent research (Innovas, March 2009, Low Carbon and Environmental Goods and Services: an industry analysis) estimated that the low carbon and environmental goods and services sector employs 880,000 people in the UK and is expected to grow to over one million by the middle of the next decade. The accelerated capital spending and additional resources announced in the pre-Budget report to support low carbon growth, and the 1.4 billion of additional targeted support for the low carbon sector announced in Budget 2009, will be key to driving investment and employment in these sectors.

Lighting

Charles Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change 
	(1)  how many compact fluorescent light bulbs have been provided under the Carbon Emissions Reduction Target scheme in each of the last five years;
	(2)  how many compact fluorescent light bulbs have been issued without charge under  (a) the Warm Front Scheme and  (b) the Carbon Emissions Reduction Target scheme in each of the last five years.

Joan Ruddock: The information is as follows:
	 (a) The number of compact fluorescent light bulbs issued under the Warm Front Scheme in each of the last five years is provided in the following table.
	
		
			  Scheme year  Number of compact fluorescent light bulbs issued under the Warm Front Scheme 
			 2004-05 416,168 
			 2005-06 346,368 
			 2006-07 506,158 
			 2007-08 537,800 
			 2008-09 467,188 
		
	
	The cost of providing two compact fluorescent light bulbs is currently 8.09, which is deducted from the available household grant.
	 (b) The Carbon Emissions Reduction Target scheme commenced in April 2008. 152.6 million compact fluorescent light bulbs were issued in the period April 2008 to March 2009.
	101.8 million compact fluorescent light bulbs were issued under the previous three-year scheme (April 2005 to March 2008).
	39.7 million compact fluorescent light bulbs were issued under the first supplier obligation scheme (April 2002 to March 2005).
	Under the three schemes a significant percentage of compact fluorescent light bulbs (approximately 75 per cent.) are understood to have been distributed by energy suppliers without charge.

Low Carbon Buildings Programme

Greg Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what support his Department is providing to companies developing low-carbon goods and services.

Joan Ruddock: DECC provides a range of support to UK companies developing low carbon goods and services. This is part of wider government support offered through Solutions for Business and includes:
	405 million of additional funding for low carbon industries and green manufacturing in the UK as announced in Budget 2009; advice and support through the DECC-funded Carbon Trust for companies developing low carbon goods and services; venture capital for low carbon companies, including through the UK Innovation Investment Fund and the Carbon Trust's investment activities.

Natural Gas: Storage

Charles Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what requirements the Government places on gas supply companies to hold stocks of gas in storage.

David Kidney: The level of gas held in storage is primarily a commercial decision made by companies. It is influenced by the commercial judgments of shippers and suppliers on how best to meet their supply requirements; and by the 'cash-out' regime under our gas market governance arrangements, which exposes gas shippers/suppliers to potentially very high cash-out charges for any daily imbalance between the quantities of gas they convey into, and remove from, the gas network.
	However, there are safety monitors in place to ensure there is a minimum amount of gas in storage available over the winter, across all storage sites in GB, for the System Operator to operate the system safely at times of emergency.

Office for Renewable Energy Development

Greg Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change 
	(1)  when he expects the budget for 2009-10 of the Office for Renewable Energy Development to be finalised;
	(2)  when he expects the Office for Renewable Energy Development to become operational.

David Kidney: The Office for Renewable Energy Deployment (ORED) was launched on 15 July 2009. ORED's mission is to accelerate the deployment of renewable energy in order to reduce carbon emissions, increase security of supply and create business opportunities in the UK.
	As of August 2009 the budgets available to ORED, including funding allocated to low carbon investment in Budget 2009, are as set out in the following table. In addition, ORED will also be delivering projects funded from the Strategic Investment Fund managed by BIS; this additional funding amounts to up to 135.5 million over the next two years.
	
		
			  ORED Budgets 
			   million 
			   2009-10  2010-11 
			 Administration 7.1 5.8 
			 Programme 13.6 8.9 
			 Capital 38.3 61.2 
			 Total 59.0 75.9

Ofgem

Greg Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what  (a) seminars and  (b) workshops (i) have been held and (ii) are planned to be held as part of Ofgem's RPI minus X at 20 review.

David Kidney: These are matters for Ofgem. I have asked the chairman to respond directly to the hon. Member, and a copy of the response will be placed in the Libraries of the House.

Ofgem

Greg Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what working groups have been set up as part of Ofgem's RPI minus X at 20 review.

David Kidney: These are matters for Ofgem. I have asked the chairman to respond directly to the hon. Member, and a copy of the response will be placed in the Libraries of the House.

Ofgem

Greg Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what recent estimate has been made by the Office of Gas and Electricity Markets of the level of average  (a) gas and  (b) electricity bills in (i) England, (ii) Wales, (iii) Scotland and (iv) each English region.

David Kidney: Markets produces estimates of domestic household energy bills. Latest estimates reflect current prices as at June 2009 prices, and are available online at:
	http://www.ofgem.gov.uk/Media/FactSheets/Documentsl/updatedhouseholdbills09.pdf
	For an average consumer using 3,300 kWh of electricity and 20,500 kWh of gas per year and paying their bills on receipt (standard credit), June 2009 prices indicate an average annual electricity bill of 445 and the average gas bill was 800. Ofgem does not produce estimates of bills at regional levels.

Opinion Polls

Greg Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how much has spent by  (a) the Energy Saving Trust and  (b) the Carbon Trust on opinion polling in each of the last five years.

Joan Ruddock: The Energy Saving Trust do not spend the DECC grant fund on opinion polling. Instead, this activity would be funded using EST corporate funds. Therefore, we are unable to provide these details.
	According to the Carbon Trust, they mainly carry out business research but occasionally do consumer opinion polling in specific areas and, in the last five years, have spent an estimated total of 18,000 on this.

Radioactivity

Dai Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what assessment he has made of the likely effects of the EU red impact project on partitioning, transmutation and waste reduction, on the long-term management of radioactivity in the UK.

David Kidney: In making recommendations to Government on the long-term management of higher activity radioactive waste in 2006, the independent Committee on Radioactive Waste Management (CoRWM) stated that there was
	no proof of concept for partitioning and transmutation and that the cost would be disproportionate to benefits derived.
	This supported the outcome of a study done by the previous Government advisory committee, the Radioactive Waste Management Advisory Committee (RWMAC) in 2003.
	Government accepted CoRWM's primary recommendations that geological disposal coupled with safe and secure interim storage was the best way forward and set out its framework for implementing geological disposal in the Managing Radioactive Waste Safely White Paper in June 2008.
	While Government policy is to pursue geological disposal, the White Paper recognised the need to take account of developments in storage and disposal options, as well as possible new technologies and solutions. The White Paper also set out that the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority will keep developments under review and this will include the outputs from the EU Red Impact project in which they have been involved.

Renewable Energy

Greg Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what the cost of conducting the consultation on offshore electricity transmission was.

David Kidney: The Government Impact Assessment (IA), which accompanied the final Offshore Transmission Consultation Document in March 2009, estimated the total cost to DECC and Ofgem in the four years of developing the new offshore transmission regime to be 3.4 million. This included internal staff, technical, legal and economic costs and the costs of consultancy. It covered the development of proposals, drafting instructions for modifications to codes and licences, and including provisions in the Energy Act 2008. The IA also showed the estimated net benefit of the new regime to be 925 million and is available at:
	http://www.berr.gov.uk/files/file50576.pdf
	National Grid Electricity Transmission (NGET), in its role as GB System Operator Designate, incurred costs of 1.563 million in helping to develop the regime. NGET's costs have been approved as economic and efficient by the Gas and Electricity Markets Authority.
	http://www.ofgem.gov.uk/NETWORKS/OFFTRANS/PDC/CDR/CONS2009/Documentsl/AA5A%20letter%20FINAL.pdf

Renewables Deployment Office

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what projects the Renewables Deployment Office  (a) has undertaken since its establishment and  (b) plans to undertake.

David Kidney: The Office for Renewable Energy Deployment (ORED) was launched on 15 July 2009. ORED's mission is to accelerate the deployment of renewable energy in order to reduce carbon emissions, increase security of supply and create business opportunities in the UK.
	ORED is responsible for taking forward the commitments in the Government's Renewable Energy Strategy, published in July 2009. This work includes:
	Putting in place appropriate financial incentives to support the take-up of renewable energy, including reform of the Renewables Obligation; introducing Feed-in-Tariffs for small-scale electricity; and a new Renewable Heat Incentive;
	Overcoming the non-financial barriers to the deployment of wind and other technologies, including supporting reforms to ensure an effective planning system is in place at a local and regional level;
	Promoting the use of sustainable bio-energy;
	Supporting the cost-effective deployment of wave and tidal technologies, including taking forward the feasibility study on Severn Tidal Power;
	Overcoming supply chain blockages and promoting business opportunities in the renewable sector in the UK.
	This work involves engaging with a wide range of external stakeholders. To assist with this, the office is recruiting a part-time, non-executive expert chair to liaise with industry and other stakeholders, and help build a strong reputation for ORED as a delivery body.

Sustainable Development

Greg Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what steps his Department is taking to implement the recommendations of the Sustainable Development Commission's report Prosperity without growth? The transition to a sustainable economy, which fall within its responsibility.

Joan Ruddock: The Sustainable Development Commission's report contains one recommendation on which DECC leads: Imposing Clearly Defined Resource/emission Caps. The Climate Change Act commits the Government to reductions in emissions of at least 80 per cent. by 2050, and creates a system of five-year carbon budgets to ensure this target is delivered. The level of the first three carbon budgets (2008-22) was set through secondary legislation in May 2009. The UK Low Carbon Transition Plan, published in July 2009, sets out how the first three carbon budgets will be delivered. Delivery of the carbon budgets is enabled by policies including trading schemes which set specific caps, in particular the European Emissions Trading System which covers about half of UK emissions, and the forthcoming Carbon Reduction Commitment.

Warm Front Scheme

Greg Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what the amount of Eaga's Warm Front hardship fund has been in each year since 2000.

David Kidney: Since 2006 Eaga plc has provided financial assistance to some of those Warm Front clients who were unable to meet the cost of an excess contribution required for work to be done. The amounts spent by Eaga, in this respect, in each year since 2006 are provided in the following table:
	
		
			   Fund (000) 
			 2006-07 759 
			 2007-08 1,262 
			 2008-09 914 
			 Total 2,935

Warm Front Scheme

Greg Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change pursuant to the answer of 25 March 2009,  Official Report, column 503W, on the Warm Front scheme, what the average cost of supplying energy-efficient light bulbs is to a customer who receives only that service under the Warm Front scheme.

David Kidney: The cost of providing two compact fluorescent light bulbs under the Warm Front Scheme is currently 8.32 per household.

Warm Front Scheme

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change if he will commission a review of Eaga's performance in carrying out its contractual obligations for the Warm Front scheme; and if he will make a statement.

Joan Ruddock: holding answer 14 September 2009
	DECC has recently completed a review of the contract with the main contractor and Scheme administrator, Eaga plc. This has resulted in a revised set of contractual arrangements between DECC and Eaga which will result in increased value for money and improvements in the service Warm Front provides to its customers.
	DECC performs monthly reviews of Eaga's performance against contractual service level indicators. In addition DECC commissions regular audits to ensure Warm Front is delivered in accordance with contractual requirements.

Wave Power

Charles Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what funding his Department and its predecessors have provided for the development of marine energy technologies since 2003.

David Kidney: The Department has previously provided support totalling 35 million for the industry-led development of marine energy technologies through the former DTI Technology Programmenow administered by the Technology Strategy Boardand support of 9 million for high quality basic science through the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council's 'Supergen Marine' consortium.
	DECC has its own support scheme in place for the commercial demonstration of wave and tidal stream technologiesthe 50 million Marine Renewables Deployment Fund (MRDF). We are now in the process of designing, in conjunction with the sector, a new 22 million Marine Renewables Proving Fund as announced in Low Carbon Transition Plan.
	DECC has also supported the development of marine energy technology through investing in testing facilities such as the European Marine Energy Centre (EMEC) and the New and Renewable Energy Centre (NaREC). The Government recently announced a package of measures in its Low Carbon Transition Plan that further investment would be made in upgrading and expanding the testing facilities at EMEC (8 million) and NaREC (10 million), together with an increase of its contribution towards the planned Wave Hub project off the coast of Cornwall to 9.5 million.
	DECC is also contributing to a 534,000 fund to support the development of embryonic technologies for a possible Severn tidal power scheme.
	Under the Renewables Obligation wave and tidal energy suppliers will receive two Renewable Obligation Certificates (ROCs) for each MWh of eligible generation produced.

Wave Power

Charles Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many operational marine power schemes are connected to the electricity grid; and what the  (a) generating capacity and  (b) quantity of electricity generated by each in 2008 was.

David Kidney: The information requested is as follows:
	 (a) There were three marine energy devices connected to the electricity grid in 2008.
	Wavegen500 kW
	SeaGen1.2 MW
	Open Hydro250 kW
	 (b) The following figures are taken from the Ofgem Renewables register.
	Wavegen (now Voith Hydro Wavegen) Limpet device deployed on the Isle of Islay generated 42 MWh.
	SeaGenowned by Sea Generation Ltd/Marine Current Turbines and deployed in Strangford Lough, Northern Ireland generated 13 MWh.
	Open Hydro, deployed at the European Marine Energy Centre, Orkney are not accredited for the Renewables Obligation and no data is available for 2008.

Wind Power

Michael Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what recent discussions his Department has had with industry representatives on the temporary increase of support for offshore wind through the Renewables Obligation.

David Kidney: DECC officials and Ministers have regular discussions and meetings with the offshore wind industry, both individually and collectively, concerning the deployment of offshore wind. These can cover generic issues or can be in relation to specific projects' particular concerns around for example planning, and grid access. Recent meetings with industry representatives have involved discussions about whether there is a need for an increase in support for offshore wind through the Renewables Obligation.

Wind Power

Michael Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what the evidential basis is for the proposed criteria for selecting offshore wind projects to receive temporary increases in support under the Renewables Obligation.

David Kidney: The evidential basis for launching a review of the level of support for offshore wind under the Renewables Obligation is the report Cost of and financial support for offshore wind, produced for DECC by Ernst and Young, and available at
	http://www.berr.gov.uk/files/file51142.pdf
	The proposed criteria for determining eligibility for any increase in support are subject to consultation, and we have welcomed views and further evidence as part of the consultation process which closes on 15 October.

Wylfa Power Station

Charles Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what progress has been made on the Health and Safety Executive's Nuclear Directorate's investigation into the event on 6 August 2008 at Wylfa nuclear power station when graphite samples were withdrawn with the reactor at full power; and if he will make a statement.

David Kidney: The investigation by the Health and Safety Executive's Nuclear Directorate into this incident is complete. The incident is classified as level 1 under the International Atomic Energy Agency's International Nuclear Events Scale. This level is defined as an anomaly beyond the authorised operating regime and is one class above the lowest category of 0. The facility operator, Magnox North Ltd, is legally obliged by its nuclear site licence to provide adequate arrangements for investigating incidents on the site and conducted an investigation into the August 2008 incident. In line with its established policy for such incidents, the Nuclear Directorate's investigation consisted of a review of Magnox North Ltd's own investigation, which it supplemented with further scrutiny of the cause of the incident during the 2009 planned outage of the facility. The Directorate's conclusion was that Magnox North Ltd had dealt with the incident satisfactorily. The key change made as a result of the investigation was that Magnox North Ltd put in place arrangements to improve compliance with all the requirements of the safety case for Wylfa nuclear power station.

Alcohlolic Drinks: Young People

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many penalty notices for disorder in relation to the sale of alcohol to a person under 18 years of age were issued in each police force area in  (a) 2007-08 and  (b) 2008-09; what the average fine levied in each police force area was in each such year; and how many such fines have not been paid.

Alan Campbell: holding answer 9 September 2009
	The number of Penalty Notices for Disorder (PNDs) issued in England and Wales for the sale of alcohol to a person aged under 18 years of age in 2006 and 2007 (latest available), by Police Force Area and outcome, can be found in the following tables. (The Ministry of Justice publish PND data by calendar year rather than by financial year).
	The offence, which attracts a fixed penalty of 80, was added to the Scheme in November 2004. 21 days is the minimum period before which forces can register a fine against the recipient for not responding to a notice, so forces can accept payments after the Suspended Enforcement Period for administrative purposes. From the data held centrally, it is not possible to separately identify the fine amounts registered nor the number of unpaid fines.
	PND data for 2008 will be available towards the end of 2009.
	
		
			  Table 1: Number of penalty notices for disorder issued and outcomes for the offence Sale of alcohol to a person aged under 18, England and Wales, broken down by Police force area, 2006( 1) 
			   Outcome 
			  Police force area  Issued  Paid in full within 21 days  Paid in full outside 21 days  Fine registered  Court hearing requested  PND cancelled  Potential prosecution  Outcome unknown 
			 Avon and Somerset 54 47 3 4 
			 Bedfordshire 13 9  4 
			 Cambridgeshire 29 28  1 
			 Cheshire 50 42 4 4 
			 Cleveland 23 18 2 2  1   
			 Cumbria 21 16 3 2 
			 Derbyshire 30 25 2 2  1   
			 Devon and Cornwall 115 91 9 10  2 3  
			 Dorset 29 22 2 4 1
			 Durham 1 1   
			 Essex 94 78 4 12 
			 Gloucestershire 54 38 10 6 
			 Greater Manchester 211 141 38 31   1  
			 Hampshire 109 85 14 8  1 1  
			 Hertfordshire 41 38  2  1   
			 Humberside 48 32 12 4 
			 Kent 5 4  1 
			 Lancashire 206 155 24 26 1
			 Leicestershire 59 49  8  2   
			 Lincolnshire 57 40 10 7 
			 Merseyside 127 91 21 12  1 2  
			 Metropolitan Police 252 164 59 23  6   
			 Norfolk 10 8 1 1 
			 Northamptonshire 34 23 5 6 
			 Northumbria 84 57 8 13  6   
			 North Yorkshire 11 11   
			 Nottinghamshire 265 185 38 41   1  
			 South Yorkshire 158 124 14 16  4   
			 Staffordshire 75 56 12 7 
			 Suffolk 21 16 3 2 
			 Surrey 34 29 3 2 
			 Sussex 216 167 22 24 1 1  1 
			 Thames Valley 95 74 11 8  2   
			 Warwickshire 5 3 2  
			 West Mercia 34 27 5 2 
			 West Midlands 143 97 22 23 1
			 West Yorkshire 105 72 9 22   2  
			 Wiltshire 18 13  4  1   
			 Dyfed-Powys 9 6 2 1 
			 Gwent 50 31 4 12  1  2 
			 North Wales 83 54 8 20 1
			 South Wales 117 87 16 13 1
			 England and Wales 3,195 2,354 402 390 6 30 10 3 
			 (1) Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used.  Source:  Evidence and Analysis UnitOffice for Criminal Justice Reform. 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 2: Number of penalty notices for disorder issued and outcomes for the offence Sale of alcohol to a person aged under 18, England and Wales, broken down by Police Force Area, 2007( 1) 
			   Outcome 
			   Issued  Paid in full within 21 days  Paid in full outside 21 days  Fine registered  Court hearing requested  PND cancelled  Potential prosecution  Outcome unknown 
			 Avon and Somerset 60 43 11 4  2   
			 Bedfordshire 13 12  1 
			 Cambridgeshire 22 21  1 
			 Cheshire 26 21 3 2 
			 Cleveland 65 48 9 7 1
			 Cumbria 40 29 9 2 
			 Derbyshire 101 66 13 16  6   
			 Devon and Cornwall 69 51 11 4  2 1  
			 Dorset 35 30 4 1 
			 Durham 25 20 4 1 
			 Essex 111 88 16 5  2   
			 Gloucestershire 86 72 8 6 
			 Greater Manchester 141 104 22 15 
			 Hampshire 205 161 24 18  1 1  
			 Hertfordshire 67 54 6 5  2   
			 Humberside 98 55 26 14 2 1   
			 Kent 23 14 5 3   1  
			 Lancashire 190 129 25 31 3 2   
			 Leicestershire 150 127  23 
			 Lincolnshire 54 36 10 7  1   
			 Merseyside 175 120 28 26   1  
			 Metropolitan Police 341 270  39  29 3  
			 Norfolk 36 19 9 6  2   
			 Northamptonshire 22 13 5 3  1   
			 Northumbria 67 40 16 9  2   
			 North Yorkshire 25 18 2 5 
			 Nottinghamshire 168 118 18 30 1 1   
			 South Yorkshire 159 116 16 22  4 1  
			 Staffordshire 67 49 11 7 
			 Suffolk 20 17  3 
			 Surrey 72 53 10 8 1
			 Sussex 119 85 14 18  2   
			 Thames Valley 131 104 13 9 1 4   
			 Warwickshire 37 29 5 3 
			 West Mercia 36 29 5 2 
			 West Midlands 135 80 40 12  1 2  
			 West Yorkshire 161 119 18 9  3 12  
			 Wiltshire 24 22  1 1
			 Dyfed-Powys 20 14 5 1 
			 Gwent 71 42 19 9  1   
			 North Wales 63 44 6 10 3
			 South Wales 53 41 5 7 
			 England and Wales 3,583 2,623 451 405 13 69 22  
			 (1) Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used.  Source:  Evidence and Analysis UnitOffice for Criminal Justice Reform.

Animal Experiments: Scotland

Katy Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many of the regulated procedures under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 were conducted in Scotland in 2008 involved  (a) cats,  (b) dogs,  (c) rabbits,  (d) horses and other equids,  (e) New World primates and  (f) Old World primates which (i) were genetically modified and (ii) had a harmful genetic defect.

Alan Campbell: In 2008 there were no such procedures in Scotland nor in Great Britain as a whole (Table 3, Statistics of Scientific Procedures on Living Animals Great Britain 2008, available from the Library of the House and from the Department's website at:
	http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/scientific1.html.

Assaults on Police: Police Community Support Officers

Fraser Kemp: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many assaults on police community support officers while on duty were recorded in each of the last five years for which figures are available.

David Hanson: Data for the numbers of assaults on police officers and operational police staff for 2003-04 and 2004-05 can be found in the HMIC Annual Report 2004-05, available in the Library of the House.
	These data are not available by individual rank and therefore appear in the report as a combined figure for officers, PCSOs and other operational support staff.
	Data for the numbers of assaults on police community support officers for 2005-06 to 2007-08 are also available in the House Library.
	Assaults data are collected on behalf on Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary who use the data for inspection purposes and have agreed to the release of these figures.

Asylum

Paul Rowen: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  what percentage of Christian asylum seekers have been granted asylum in each of the last five years;
	(2)  what percentage of Muslim asylum seekers have been granted asylum in each of the last five years.

Phil Woolas: The available management information on the percentage of initial decisions which were grants of asylum on applications for asylum made by people recorded as being Christian or Muslim is given in the following table:
	
		
			  Asylum grants as percentage of initial decisions, 2007-09( 1) 
			  Percentage 
			   2007  2008  2009( 1) 
			 Applicants who are Christian 26 26 25 
			 Applicants who are Muslim 17 13 11 
			 (1 )January to date.   Note:  Figures relate to initial decisions in these years based on first time main asylum applicants only. Religion is based on information ascertained from the applicant. Christian and Muslim figures are based on all practices within each faith. The percentage figures represent asylum (Refugee Leave) grants only and exclude Humanitarian Protection and Discretionary Leave. Asylum grants could have been made on any of the criteria in the 1951 UN Refugee Conventioni.e. not restricted to religious persecution. 
		
	
	These figures are compiled from internal management information and do not constitute part of National Statistics as they are based on internal management information. The information has not been quality assured under National Statistics protocols, should be treated as provisional and is subject to change.

Asylum: Afghanistan

David Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many Afghan nationals have been given permission to remain in the UK in each of the last five years.

Phil Woolas: The following tables show the number of Afghan nationals given permission to stay in each of the last five years (2004 to 2008), according to their immigration status (i.e. asylum-related grants, grants of an extension of leave to remain and grants of settlement).
	Further statistics on immigration control are available from the Library of the House and from the Home Office Research, Development and Statistics website at:
	http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/immigration-asylum-stats.html.
	
		
			  Table 1: Asylum grants( 1, 2)  on initial decision( 3)  for nationals of Afghanistan 
			   Grants of asylum  Grants of humanitarian protection  Grants of discretionary leave  Total 
			 2004 35 10 410 450 
			 2005 30 20 445 500 
			 2006 40 * 760 805 
			 2007 85 10 790 885 
			 2008(4) 100 10 875 990 
			 (1) Figures rounded to the nearest 5 ( = 0, * = 1 or 2) and may not sum to the totals shown because of independent rounding. (2 )Excludes dependants. (3 )Information is of initial decisions, excluding the outcome of appeals or other subsequent decisions. (4 )Provisional. 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 2: Grants of an extension of leave to remain( 1, 2)  in the United Kingdom for nationals of Afghanistan 
			   Number of grants 
			 2004 165 
			 2005 125 
			 2006 155 
			 2007 355 
			 2008(3) 425 
			 (1) Figures rounded to the nearest 5 ( = 0, * = 1 or 2). (2 )Excludes dependants of principal applicants, asylum related decisions and withdrawn applications. (3 )Provisional.  Note: Includes reconsideration cases and the outcome of appeals. 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 3: Grants of settlement( 1, 2, 3, 4)  in the United Kingdom for nationals of Afghanistan 
			   Number of persons 
			 2004 1,405 
			 2005 9,215 
			 2006 7,395 
			 2007 3,165 
			 2008(5) 2,915 
			 (1) Figures rounded to the nearest 5 ( = 0, * = 1 or 2). (2 )Includes dependants, reconsideration cases and the outcome of appeals. (3 )Also includes asylum-related cases and therefore may include persons counted in Table 1. (4 )Data from 2003 exclude dependants of EEA and Swiss nationals in confirmed relationships granted permanent residence. (5 )Provisional.

Asylum: Democratic Republic of Congo

Anne Milton: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many asylum seekers have been returned to the Democratic Republic of Congo in each of the last five years.

Phil Woolas: The following table shows the number of asylum cases who were removed or departed voluntarily from the United Kingdom to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) between January 2004 and March 2009.
	Figures for the second quarter of 2009 was published on 27 August 2009.
	During 2008, enforced removals of asylum cases to the Democratic Republic of Congo were deferred until a Court of Appeal judgment, which was handed down on 3 December.
	Published statistics on immigration and asylum are available from the Library of the House and from the Home Office Research, Development and Statistics Directorate website at:
	http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/immigration-asylum-stats.html
	
		
			  Removals and voluntary departures( 1)  of asylum cases( 2)  to the Democratic Republic of Congo, January 2004 to March 2009 
			  Number of departures( 3, 4) 
			   2004  2005  2006  2007( 5)  2008( 5)  January to March 2009( 5) 
			  Principal asylum cases( 6) 15 40 105 120 40 20 
			  Of which:   
			 Nationals of the Democratic Republic of Congo 15 35 95 115 35 15 
			 Other nationals  10 10 5 5 * 
			
			  Dependant asylum cases  * 10 30 5 5 
			  Of which:   
			 Nationals of the Democratic Republic of Congo   10 30 5 5 
			 Other nationals  * 
			
			  Total asylum cases 15 45 115 145 45 20 
			  Of which:   
			 Nationals of the Democratic Republic of Congo 15 35 105 140 40 20 
			 Other nationals  10 10 5 5 * 
			 (1) Figures are rounded to the nearest 5 ( = 0, * = 1 or 2) and may not sum to the totals shown because of independent rounding. (2) Includes persons departing voluntarily after notifying the UK Border Agency of their intention to leave prior to their departure, persons leaving under Assisted Voluntary Return Programmes run by the International Organisation for Migration and since January 2005, persons who it has been established left the UK without informing the immigration authorities. (3) Removals and voluntary departures recorded on the system as at the dates on which the data extracts were taken. (4) Destination as recorded on source database. (5) Provisional figures. Figures will under record due to data cleansing and data matching exercises that take place after the extracts are taken. (6) Figures exclude dependants.

Asylum: Gender

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of the effects of his Department's introduction of gender guidelines on the asylum procedure.

Alan Johnson: The Asylum Instruction entitled Gender Issues in the Asylum Claim was introduced in early 2004. The instruction provides guidance to caseworkers considering claims for asylum where sexual or gender identity-related issues have been raised. The UKBA quality audit team checks compliance with all UKBA instructions in a proportion of decisions. This includes where relevant, whether the decision maker has followed the instruction on gender. The result of each audit is fed back to decision makers and managers to ensure quality of decisions improves and the quality team make additional recommendations on any issues which they feel impact on quality at national level to ensure these can be addressed.

Asylum: Religion

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what provision is made for those seeking asylum to have their initial interview conducted by a person of a specific religious affiliation.

Phil Woolas: UK Border Agency case owners are trained to deal professionally and impartially with all types of asylum applications and a case owner's faith should have no bearing upon his or her handling of an application. It would not be practical or desirable to exclude case owners from interviewing applicants due to the faith of either party. The UK Border Agency values the diversity of its workforce and it would be unacceptable to discriminate against those of a certain faith or ethnic background.

Asylum: Scotland

Ian Davidson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many asylum seekers were supported in accommodation in each Parliamentary constituency in Scotland on the latest date for which figures are available.

Phil Woolas: Information on asylum is published annually and quarterly. The Quarterly Control of Immigration Statistics Q2 2009 and the annual Control of Immigration Statistics 2008 were published on 27 August 2009 and are available from the Library of the House and from the Home Office Research, Development and Statistics Directorate website at:
	http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/immigration-asylum-stats.html
	The breakdown of immigration statistics by parliamentary constituency is available from the Library of the House.
	
		
			  Asylum seekers supported in accommodation( 1, 2, 3)  in Scotland by parliamentary constituency, as at end of March 2009 
			  Parliamentary constituency name( 4)  Number 
			 Edinburgh East * 
			 Edinburgh North and Leith * 
			 Glasgow Central 325 
			 Glasgow East 310 
			 Glasgow North 160 
			 Glasgow North East 1,030 
			 Glasgow North West 505 
			 Glasgow South 260 
			 Glasgow South West 390 
			 Other(5) 15 
			 Scotland Total 2,990 
			 (1) Provisional figures (other than percentages) rounded to the nearest 5 with * = 1 or 2. Figures may not sum to the totals shown because of independent rounding. (2) Excludes unaccompanied asylum-seeking children supported by local authorities, estimated around 4,500 in March 2009. (3) Excludes those in initial accommodation, 1,250 as at end of March 2009. (4) Only those parliamentary constituencies where dispersed cases are resident are shown. (5) Local authorities with fewer than 15 cases, when rounded, are grouped by region as Other.

Borders: Personal Records

Willie Rennie: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent assessment he has made of the likely effect on check-in times at airports of the introduction of the e-borders system.

Phil Woolas: holding answer 9 September 2009
	E-Borders is already receiving data for inbound and outbound services from a diverse range of carriers, and has been, on a pilot basis, since January 2005.
	The UK Border Agency considered the potential for delays at check-in when developing its 'impact assessment' in the provision of passenger, service and crew data, by carriers.
	It concluded that the overall impact would be negligible. The growing trend within the industry is towards the sale of tickets and collection of data upstream, before the passenger arrives at the airport. The e-Borders system has been developed in consultation with the industry to cater for this trend.
	The advance submission of TDI enables carriers to consider the options for the collection of the information that suits their business models and that will not extend check in times.

Borders: Personal Records

Willie Rennie: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what pilot programmes his Department conducted in respect of the e-borders system; and what assessment was made of each such programme.

Phil Woolas: holding answer 9 September 2009
	Project Semaphore was launched in November 2004 and was commissioned to run for 39 months to provide an operational prototype to trial e-Borders concepts and technology in order to inform and de-risk the e-Borders solution.
	Project Semaphore demonstrated the value that advance passenger information adds to safety and security. This enables the UK authorities to intervene in a timely and proportionate manner, where an individual is identified as posing a risk. The Semaphore system captured data on over 53 million passenger movements from January 2005 to April 2008. Semaphore delivered significant successes to all border agencies, generating over 22,000 operational alerts resulting in over 1,700 arrests and other interventions in addition to significant counter terrorism benefits.
	The Semaphore legacy system was transferred to operational business in April 2008 and is now managed by the e-Borders service provider, Trusted Borders and forms a key initial part of the main e-Borders' solution.
	Project IRIS, a pilot biometric automated barrier entry system for pre-registered passengers at selected ports in the UK. It was piloted from June 2005 to May 2006. IRIS enrolment stations and gates are available at all five Heathrow terminals and at Gatwick, Manchester and Birmingham airports.
	IRIS was transferred to the operational business in July 2007. As of August 2009, over 326,000 persons are enrolled on the system, generating over 2 million crossings.

Borders: Personal Records

Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much his Department had spent on its e-borders project on 1 July 2009; and if he will make a statement.

Phil Woolas: holding answer 9 September 2009
	The gross cost to Government of e-Borders. not including fee income, for the period from the start of the procurement phase (September 2005) through to 1 July 2009, was 300 million.

British Nationality: Assessments

James Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many and what proportion of people  (a) applying for citizenship and  (b) applying for settlement passed the Knowledge of Life Test in each quarter since its inception.

Phil Woolas: The figures requested by the hon. Member are as follows. These figures do not constitute part of National Statistics as they are based on internal management information. The information has not been quality assured under National Statistics protocols, should be treated as provisional and is subject to change.
	
		
			   Citizenship  Settlement 
			   Passes  Pass rate (percentage)  Passes  Pass rate (percentage) 
			 4(th) quarter 2005 (from 1 November) 5,249 71.0   
			  
			 1(st) quarter 2006 20,755 69.4   
			  
			 2(nd) quarter 2006 24,537 68.1   
			  
			 3(rd )quarter 2006 29,708 67.4   
			  
			 4(th) quarter 2006 30,402 66.2   
			  
			 1(st) quarter 2007 54,725 70.1   
			  
			 2(nd) quarter 2007 44,237 64.8 26,898 76.3 
			  
			 3(rd) quarter 2007 26,130 65.7 23,332 74.4 
			  
			 4(th) quarter 2007 19,364 68.4 18,561 76.1 
			  
			 1(st) quarter 2008 29,446 70.2 24,004 76.6 
			  
			 2(nd) quarter 2008 24,921 68.9 23,356 75.6 
			  
			 3(rd) quarter 2008 17,247 66.2 22,311 74.2 
			  
			 4(th) quarter 2008 14,974 68.7 20,911 76.0 
			 1(st) quarter 2009 18,227 70.2 24,307 77.8 
			  
			 2(nd) quarter 2009 13,796 69.1 22,963 78.3 
			  
			 3(rd) quarter 2009 (to 31 August) 9,506 72.2 14,083 78.6

Contracts

Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many contracts let by his Department in the last 12 months were related to the immigration casework database; and what the monetary value was of each such contract.

Phil Woolas: holding answer 9 September 2009
	The Immigration Case Work programme stems from the immigration and nationality directorate (IND) review in 2006, which identified that the business has had to operate with systems that were not designed to cope with the scale of change and business volumes experienced in recent years.
	The programme's vision is to deliver a new immigration case working capability that will enable the UK Border Agency to operate with the levels of efficiency and service found in leading case working organisations. This will be achieved by delivering radical changes to business processes and improvements to the enabling IT systems. The programme has adopted recognised leading practice by scheduling the development and roll-out of the new systems over time; from the first pilot release in March 2009 to replacement of the legacy systems for protection in 2013 (as discussed with the Committee for Public Accounts earlier this year). The phased approach also ensures that the Agency can afford to fund the programme as part of its business plan. The programme is within budget.
	In the last 12 months, the following contracts with their monetary values were let in relation to the new immigration casework database, Integrity.
	 Notes:
	1. The following figures only cover IT contracts awarded by ICW, excluding contractors and consultants.
	2. The monetary values exclude VAT.
	
		
			  Contract  Monetary value of contract excluding VAT, gross figure () 
			 ATOS Origin IT Services UK Limited 472,151 
			 ATOS Origin IT Services UK Limited 6,748,997 
			 CA PLC 64,034 
			 CESG 15,000 
			 DELL Corporation Limited 12,781,709 
			 DWP (Shared Services) 722,059 
			 Field Fisher Waterhouse 420,001 
			 Fujitsu Services (Alcedo) Limited 143,351 
			 IBM Direct United Kingdom Limited 16,420 10 
			 IBM Direct United Kingdom Limited 15,845,119 
			 Oracle Corporation UK Limited 90,000 
			 Specialist Computer Centres PLC 1,409,078 
			 Specialist Computer Centres PLC 58,803 
			 Specialist Computer Centres PLC 2,294,856 
			 Specialist Computer Centres PLC 25,000 
			 Specialist Computer Centres PLC 80,846 
			 Specialist Computer Centres PLC 2,249,500 
			 Total 43,436,924 
		
	
	In addition, a number of contracts have been let in the last 12 months in respect of changes made to the FCO Proviso system as part of the roll out of the Integrity solution. These are as follows:
	
		
			  Item  Monetary value of contract excluding VAT () 
			 Initial Scoping and Design Work for Early ICW Projects 27,130.01 
			 Early ICW Projects August 2008 to January 2009 165,000.00 
			 First year product support services for ICW Early Deliverablesprovided by Software AG 87,879.58 
			 ICW Early DeliverablesFCO Services resources required for the next stage of the project 213,315.00 
			 ICW ED Software AG EICW 237,664.92 
			 EICW related Professional Services (refusal/non-refusal notices 49,094 
			 Total 780,083.51

Crimes of Violence: Driving Offences

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate has been made of the number of cases of violent crime which involved uninsured drivers in the latest period for which figures are available.

Alan Campbell: The information requested is not collected centrally.
	Data are available for 2008-09 for offences of 'Causing death by driving: Unlicensed, Disqualified or Uninsured drivers' and there were six offences recorded by the police in England and Wales. However, it is not possible to separately identify which deaths, if any, were caused by uninsured drivers.

Criminal Investigations: Costs

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 14 May 2009,  Official Report, column 926W, on criminal investigation costs, what the  (a) direct staff costs,  (b) operational support costs,  (c) business support costs and  (d) total costs excluding overheads for (i) violence against the personS20 and more serious, (ii) violence against the person S47 and less serious, (iii) sexual offences, (iv) robbery, (v) deception/fraud, (vi) drugs offences, (vii) criminal damage, (viii) crimes other than those specified above and (ix) crimes other than those specified in ABC data collection were in (A) 2004-05, (B) 2005-06 and (C) 2006-07.

Alan Campbell: holding answer 9 September 2009
	The data requested are given in the tables.
	
		
			  Table 1: Average cost per incident, by incident type, 2004-05: () 
			   () 
			   Direct staff costs  Operational support costs  Business support costs  Total cost excluding overheads 
			 Violence against the person - S20 and more serious 5,459.07 3,718.40 2,377.83 11,555.30 
			 Violence against the person - S47 and less serious 164.97 119.58 73.26 357.80 
			 Sexual offences 2,085.36 1,395.14 888.31 4,368.81 
			 Robbery 1,029.40 749.67 474.49 2,253.56 
			 Deception/fraud 300.88 193.45 131.75 626.08 
			 Drugs offences 987.28 649.53 404.41 2,041.22 
			 Criminal damage 84.62 64.43 38.16 187.20 
			 All Other Crime 179.33 139.45 80.22 399.00 
			 Crimes other than those specified in ABC data collection(1) 3,665.82 2,836.50 1,713.30 8,215.62 
			 Total crime 300.84 219.30 133.50 653.65 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 2: Average costs per incident, 2005-06 
			   () 
			   Direct staff costs  Operational support costs  Business support costs  Total cost excluding overheads 
			 Violence against the person - S20 and more serious 7,564.11 4,770.75 2,555.36 14,890.22 
			 Violence against the person - S47 and less serious 202.63 140.46 84.44 427.53 
			 Sexual offences 2,373.18 1,539.78 880.05 4,793.00 
			 Robbery 1,198.67 868.14 483.02 2,549.83 
			 Deception/fraud 432.81 256.30 165.28 854.38 
			 Drugs offences 1,054.21 667.25 385.89 2,107.35 
			 Criminal damage 98.33 70.39 40.46 209.19 
			 All Other Crime 198.72 156.23 88.17 443.12 
			 Crimes other than those specified in ABC data collection(1) 3,709.13 2,746.70 1,509.45 7,965.28 
			 Total crime 357.50 251.73 142.81 752.04 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 3: Average costs per incident, 2006-07 
			   () 
			   Direct staff costs  Operational support costs  Business support costs  Total cost excluding overheads 
			 Violence against the person - S20 and more serious 9,155.84 5,131.39 3,103.06 17,390.29 
			 Violence against the person - S47 and less serious 222.76 154.31 90.88 467.94 
			 Sexual offences 3,082.91 2,074.40 1,165.78 6,323.09 
			 Robbery 1,178.17 857.18 430.75 2,466.10 
			 Deception/fraud 452.03 293.64 176.26 921.92 
			 Drugs offences 935.60 573.11 356.30 1,865.01 
			 Criminal damage 103.13 74.23 40.75 218.11 
			 All Other Crime 208.67 162.97 86.73 458.37 
			 Crimes other than those specified in ABC data collection(1) 3,283.92 2,589.36 1,249.30 7,122.59 
			 Total crime 367.82 258.71 142.41 768.93 
			 (1) Crimes specified in ABC data collection are: violence against the person, sexual offences, burglary (dwelling), burglary (commercial and other), robbery, theft of or from a motor vehicle, theft of or from a motor vehicle, deception/fraud, theft (other), drugs offences, criminal damage.

Departmental Advertising

Pete Wishart: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much his Department spent on newspaper advertising carried in each newspaper in the most recent year for which figures are available.

Phil Woolas: The Home Office and its external agencies spent 1,795,842 on newspaper advertising in the 2008-09 financial year to communicate policies on knife crime, community safety, acquisitive crime, alcohol and the point based system in immigration.

Departmental Expenditure

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what expenditure his Department has incurred on room hire at the City Inn in Westminster in the last 24 months; and on how many occasions such rooms have been hired by his Department in that period.

Phil Woolas: holding answer 9 September 2009
	The Department has made payments totalling 5,651 to City Inn, Westminster, during the last two years. These relate to the hiring of conference facilities by business areas on four occasions.
	Of the Department's agencies, Criminal Records Bureau has not made any payments and Identity and Passport Service cannot provide the information without incurring disproportionate cost.
	All Home Office expenditure conforms to the principles of regularity, propriety and value for money, and any other guidance as applicable contained within Managing Public Money and the Treasury handbook on Regularity and Propriety.

Departmental Flexible Working

Justine Greening: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what flexi-time arrangements have been available to staff of his Department in each of the last five years; and how many staff participated in such arrangements in each such year.

Phil Woolas: Most parts of the Home Office allow staff to participate in flexitime arrangements where operationally possible. However, there are significant areas of the Home Office, such as the UK Border Agency front line operations, where business needs preclude the working of flexitime.
	Over a four-week accounting period, staff on flexitime are required to complete their net conditioned hours of attendance, with a limited credit or deficit being carried over from one period to the next if necessary.
	The Home Office flexitime policy requires staff to be present during an agreed core time of 10am to 3.45 pm. Subject to business needs, it allows them to start work any time between 7.30 am and 10am and allows them to leave work any time between 3.45 and 7pm. A lunch break of at least 30 minutes must be taken between 11am and 3pm.
	These arrangements may be varied slightly with the agreement of local management. Staff with a part-time attendance pattern must agree individual arrangements with their line managers.
	There are more than 250 Home Office locations across the United Kingdom. Flexitime monitoring is undertaken at a local level and is either electronic or paper-based; records are not maintained centrally and no historic records are available. Therefore, an attempt to obtain the information requested could not be effected without incurring disproportionate cost.

Departmental Marketing

Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department with reference to the answer of 14 November 2008,  Official Report, column 2234W, on departmental marketing, how many staff in his Department are responsible for branding activity; and what the cost of employing such staff was in 2008-09.

Phil Woolas: The number of staff responsible for branding and the total cost of employment for the financial year 2008-09 are detailed in the following table:
	
		
			   Number of staff employed  Total cost () 
			 Home Office 1 3,998 
			 UK Border Agency (UKBA) 1 4,800 
			 Identity and Passport Service (IPS) 1 7,282 
		
	
	This work equates to:
	4 hours per week at SIO grade within the Home Office
	one day per week at EO grade for UKBA
	one day per week at SEO grade for IPS.

Departmental Motor Vehicles

Andrew Stunell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much his Department spent on hire vehicles in each of the last five financial years.

Phil Woolas: Information on spend is available from 2005-06 following the introduction of the Department's Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system. Collation of information prior to this date is available only at disproportionate cost. The Department's (inclusive of its executive agencies) spend on car hire outside the Government Car Service since 2005-06 is as follows:
	
		
			  Car hire expenditure 
			  Financial year   
			 2005-06 660,014 
			 2006-07 389,270 
			 2007-08 335,069 
			 2008-09 415,953

Departmental Non-domestic Rates

Justine Greening: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many properties owned by the Department were liable for payment of  (a) business rates and  (b) empty property rates in each of the last five years; and what the liability in respect of each was in each such year.

Phil Woolas: The information is as follows.
	  (a) In 2004-05 the Department owned five buildings liable for business rates. Since the disposal of a surplus property in 2005-06, this has reduced to four. Details of the costs for each respective year are in the following table:
	
		
			   Total (000) 
			 2004-05 963 
			 2005-06 596 
			 2006-07 398 
			 2007-08 409 
			 2008-09 427 
		
	
	  (b) The Department has not owned any properties qualifying for empty rates relief in the period covered by this question.

Departmental Official Hospitality

Theresa Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what his Department's hospitality and catering budget was in each of the last five years; and what proportion of that budget was spent on entertainment in each such year.

Phil Woolas: The Department's budget holders are responsible for translating delegations into sufficiently detailed budgets to enable delivery of objectives. Although the Department's accounting system can report hospitality and catering budget data, budget holders have broken down their resource delegations differently, and not always to this level of detail.
	Entertainment is not accounted for separately.
	The requested information cannot therefore be provided without incurring disproportionate cost. All Home Office expenditure on entertainment and hospitality conforms to the principles of regularity, propriety and value for money, and any other guidance as applicable contained within Managing Public Money and the Treasury handbook on Regularity and Propriety.

Departmental Paternity Leave

Justine Greening: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many staff took paternity leave from his Department in each of the last five years; and what the average duration of such leave has been.

Phil Woolas: Employees are contractually entitled to 10 days paid paternity or maternity support leave if they have completed one year's qualifying service ending with the 15th week before the baby is due.
	The actual number of employees who have taken paternity leave in the Home Office has not been collated centrally and we are therefore unable to provide paternity leave data for each of the last five years without incurring disproportionate costs.

Departmental Pay

Justine Greening: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what employee reward schemes are offered to staff of his Department; what the purpose of each scheme is; how many staff participate in each scheme; and what the cost of operating each scheme was in each of the last five years.

Phil Woolas: In Home Office HQ and the United Kingdom Border Agency there are two reward schemes: a one-off non-consolidated special payment scheme and a thank you voucher scheme. The purpose of the one-off non-consolidated special payment scheme is to reward outstanding achievement by staff in particularly demanding tasks or situations. In the financial year 2007-08 3,702 staff received a payment under this scheme at a total cost of 2,564,759; in 2008-09 2,863 staff received a payment under this scheme at a total cost of 1,161,720.
	Accurate data prior to the financial year 2007-08 is unavailable and could not be obtained without incurring disproportionate cost.
	The thank you voucher scheme launched in September 2008. Its purpose is to reward outstanding achievement. Staff can be awarded vouchers to the value of either 25 or 50 to spend in high street stores. Since its launch, 1,635 staff have received vouchers under this scheme at a total cost of 71,728.
	The Identity and Passport Service (IPS) operates three employee reward schemes: the Corporate one-off non-consolidated payment scheme; the Grade 6/7 one-off non-consolidated payment scheme, and the one-off non-consolidated Special payment scheme. In all cases, data is available only for the past two financial years. Data for previous years could not be obtained without incurring disproportionate cost.
	The IPS Corporate one-off non-consolidated payment scheme is available to all staff in grades below the senior civil service. The payment, which is limited to a maximum of 450 per person, is designed to reward successful delivery of key organisational aims. In 2007-08 3,930 staff received a payment under this scheme at a total cost of 1,309,828; in 2008-09 4,401 staff received a payment under this scheme at a total cost of 1,665,760.
	The purpose of the IPS Grade 6/7 one-off non-consolidated payment scheme is to reward excellent achievement in management and leadership. In 2007-08 122 staff received a payment under this scheme at a total cost of 140, 673; in 2008-09 130 staff received a payment under this scheme at a total cost of 328,500.
	The IPS one-off non-consolidated Special payment scheme is open to al staff in grades below the senior civil service. Its purpose is to reward individuals or teams for exceptional performance in particularly demanding tasks or situations. In 2007-08 862 staff received a payment under this scheme at a total cost of 94,523; in 2008-09 640 staff received a payment under this scheme at a total cost of 65,410.
	The Criminal Records Bureau operates a one-off non-consolidated special payment scheme to reward exceptional individual performance. In 2007-08 13 staff received a payment under this scheme at a total cost of 21,360; in 2008-09 36 staff received a payment under this scheme at a total cost of 9,275.

Departmental Pay

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many of his Department's officials received bonuses in each year since 1997; and how much was paid in total in bonuses in each of those years.

Phil Woolas: The Home Office (including the UK Border Agency), as part of its annual pay arrangements, pays non consolidated performance related bonuses up to 35 per cent. of its staff. There are rewards for exceptional contribution throughout the year. There are separate arrangements for the Department's senior staff, which are set by the Prime Minister for the whole senior civil service, following independent advice from the Senior Salaries Review Body.
	In the years for which data are available the following bonuses were paid (with the total costs in brackets):
	
		
			   Number  Total costs ( million) 
			 2005-06 4,785 (4.28) 
			 2006-07 5,097 (4.45) 
			 2007-08 5,647 (4.48) 
			 2008-09 6,164 (4.75) 
		
	
	It is also possible to give one-off special payments to members of staff in year to reward exceptional achievements on a project or programme. 2,863 staff received such a payment in 2008-09 at a cost of 1.16 million; the equivalent figures for 2007-08 were 3,702 (2.56 million).
	We cannot provide information for previous years except at disproportionate cost.

Departmental Property

Edward Garnier: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the budget of  (a) his Department's property group and  (b) the probation division of that group is for 2009-10; and how many people are employed in each.

Phil Woolas: General property in the Department's shared services directorate has a planned gross pay/non-pay outturn cost for 2009-10 of 6.4 million allowing for vacancies to be filled. It currently comprises 136 staff that are organised as service delivery teams, rather than client-specific teams. The financial contribution to the Home Office pay/non-pay budget by the National Offender Management Service for services provided which includes those to the National Probation Service estate is 1.5 million.

Departmental Public Expenditure

Graham Brady: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department which Minister in his Department has been assigned responsibility for overseeing the delivery of value for money in his Department; whether his Department has established a public sector reform team to implement service reforms; and if he will make a statement.

Phil Woolas: I am the Minister responsible for Value for Money in my Department. The Home Office has a strong and ambitious Value for Money programme that will deliver cashable improvements worth 1,584 million per annum by 2010-11.
	Performance against this ambition was reported in the 2008 Home Office Annual Report [Cm 7592]. That included activity to improve public service delivery, for example, Operation QUEST in the police service has delivered significant benefits to the public in terms of customer satisfaction and value for money by giving police officers and staff the skills to understand and then implement improved operational processes.

Departmental Recycling

Stewart Hosie: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what proportion of his Department's waste was recycled in the latest period for which figures are available.

Phil Woolas: The information requested for the core Home Office and UK Borders Agency combined is as follows:
	
		
			   Total waste (tonnes)  Percentage recycled 
			 2007-08 2,117 25 
		
	
	The Home Office is working towards meeting the Sustainable Operations on the Government Estate targets on waste generation and recycling.

Departmental Sick Leave

Justine Greening: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the cost to his Department of sickness absences was in each of the last five years.

Phil Woolas: Full information is not held centrally and to extract and model the required data for five years would incur disproportionate cost.
	The total cost of sickness absence in the Home Office for the financial year 2008-09 was 23.47 million.

Departmental Travel

Justine Greening: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much his Department spent on flights for travel by Ministers in each year from 2005 to 2008.

Phil Woolas: Since 1999, the Government have published a list of all overseas travel by Cabinet Ministers costing over 500. Since 2008, this list has included information on all overseas visits undertaken by all Ministers. Information for the last financial year was published on 16 July 2009. Details for the current financial year will be published as soon as possible after the end of the financial year. All ministerial travel is undertaken in accordance with the Ministerial Code.

Deportation

James Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many  (a) enforced removals and  (b) voluntary departures there have been in (i) each year since 1997 and (ii) each quarter since the first quarter of 2008; and how many of the enforced removals were not initial refusals at a port of entry in each such year.

Phil Woolas: Official statistics on enforced removals are not available separately. The following tables show the number of combined removals and voluntary departures in each year since 1997 and each quarter since Q1 2008.
	The Home Office publishes statistics on the number of persons removed or departed voluntarily from the UK on a quarterly and annual basis, which are available from the Library of the House and from the Home Office's Research, Development and Statistics website at:
	http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/immigration-asylum-stats.html
	
		
			  Removals and voluntary departures( 1,2)  from the United Kingdom, 1997 to Q2 2009 
			  Number of departures 
			   1997  1998  1999  2000  2001  2002  2003  2004  2005  2006  2007  2008( 3) 
			 Non-asylum cases refused entry at port and subsequently removed(4,5) 20,430 24,065 26,435 32,835 33,690 46,630 35,130 36,165 29,805 31,895 31,145 32,365 
			  Of which: 
			 Removed from UK ports (6)n/a (6)n/a (6)n/a (6)n/a (6)n/a (6)n/a (6)n/a (6)n/a (6)n/a (6)n/a 20,635 19,465 
			 Removed from juxtaposed controls (6)n/a (6)n/a (6)n/a (6)n/a (6)n/a (6)n/a (6)n/a (6)n/a (6)n/a (6)n/a 10,510 12,900 
			  
			 Enforced removals and voluntary departures 10,720 10,860 11,345 13,815 16,940 22,000 29,255 24,990 28,410 31,970 32,220 35,615 
			  Of which: 
			 Enforced removals and notified voluntary departures(7,8) (6)n/a (6)n/a (6)n/a (6)n/a (6)n/a (6)n/a (6)n/a 22,275 23,950 21,320 21,180 21,305 
			 Assisted Voluntary Returns(9) (6)n/a (6)n/a (6)n/a (6)n/a (6)n/a (6)n/a (6)n/a 2,715 3,655 6,200 4,155 4,295 
			 Other voluntary departures(10) (11)n/a (11)n/a (11)n/a (11)n/a (11)n/a (11)n/a (11)n/a (11)n/a 805 4,450 6,885 10,010 
			 Grand total 31,150 34,920 37,780 46,645 50,625 68,630 64,390 61,160 58,215 63,865 63,365 67,980 
		
	
	
		
			  Number of departures 
			   2008 Q1( 3)  2008 Q2( 3)  2008 Q3( 3)  2008 Q4( 3)  2009 Q1( 3)  2009 Q2( 3) 
			 Non-asylum cases refused entry at port and subsequently removed(4,5) 8,345 7,305 8,235 8,485 7,695 7,445 
			  Of which:   
			 Removed from UK ports 5,105 4,705 4,955 4,700 4,200 4,030 
			 Removed from juxtaposed controls 3,240 2,600 3,280 3,785 3,495 3,415 
			
			 Enforced removals and voluntary departures 8,810 8,625 9,840 8,335 8,140 8,070 
			  Of which:   
			 Enforced removals and notified voluntary departures(7,8) 5,440 5,500 5,780 4,585 4,575 5,585 
			 Assisted Voluntary Returns(9) 970 1,030 1,195 1,095 1,220 1,240 
			 Other voluntary departures(10) 2,395 2,095 2,865 2,655 2,345 1,245 
			 Grand total 17,150 15,930 18,080 16,820 15,840 15,515 
			 (1) Removals and voluntary departures recorded on the system as at the dates on which the data extracts were taken. Figures will under record due to data cleansing and data matching exercises that take place after the extracts are taken. Prior to 2005, data are not directly comparable. (2) Figures rounded to the nearest 5, (- = 0, * = 1 or 2) and may not sum to the totals shown because of independent rounding. (3) Provisional figures. (4) Figures include persons departing voluntarily after enforcement action had been initiated against them, cases dealt with at juxtaposed controls, since 2004 removals performed by Immigration Officers at ports using enforcement powers and since 2005 a small number of cases who it has been established left the UK without informing the immigration authorities. (5) Figures up to March 2001 may include a small number of dependants of principal asylum applicants refused entry at port and subsequently removed. (6) Not available. (7) Due to a reclassification of removal categories, figures include asylum removals performed by Enforcement Officers using port powers of removal and a small number of cases dealt with at juxtaposed controls. (8) Since January 2006 figures include persons leaving under Facilitated Return Schemes. (9) Assisted Voluntary Return Programmes run by the International Organisation for Migration. May include some cases where enforcement action has been initiated. (10) Since January 2005, persons who it has been established left the UK without informing the immigration authorities. (11) Not applicable.

Detainees: Children

Pete Wishart: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what  (a) educational and  (b) medical provision is made for children detained at immigration removal centres operated by the UK Border Agency.

Phil Woolas: holding answer 9 September 2009
	Provision of education and crche facilities for children is focused at Yarl's Wood immigration removal centre. The centre provides an Ofsted inspected crche and school classrooms delivering 30 hours per week of tuition by qualified teachers for children aged five to 16 years. The teachers follow schemes of work that reflect the national curriculum key learning stages and include five hours of physical education. Children under school age have access to the crche which is staffed seven days a week from 9 am to 5 pm by appropriately qualified child care professionals.
	All immigration removal centres provide free onsite primary health care to the same level of care as NHS general practices in the community. The health care centre at Yarl's Wood is staffed 24 hours a day, seven days a week by qualified medical staff who provide holistic care to meet the needs of individuals in accordance with the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) guidelines. Referrals to the local hospital for secondary care are made as medically required. In addition to this, the centre has dedicated services that are provided to specifically meet the needs of families and children. These include a paediatric nurse, health and midwife visitors, weight and immunisation clinics which are able to prescribe malarial prophylaxis for identified risk groups, access to children's acute mental health services (CAMH) and counselling services.

DNA: Databases

Jennifer Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps he has taken to provide information on the exceptional case removal procedure for the National DNA Database in each year since the procedure became operational; how much he has spent on such steps; and if he will make a statement.

Alan Campbell: holding answer 9 September 2009
	 In January 2006, the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) issued guidelines for Chief Officers on the retention of police national computer, DNA and fingerprint records in England and Wales. The guidelines included an Exceptional Case Procedure covering consideration of requests for the removal of DNA profiles from the National DNA Database (NDNAD). The guidelines were published on the Home Office and ACPO websites in 2006, where they remain.
	Information on the Exceptional Case Procedure was also published in the NDNAD annual report 2006-07 on pages 23-24. This report was published on the website of the National Policing Improvement Agency in 2008 and remains there.
	Information will also be included in the NDNAD annual report for 2007-09, which will be published shortly.
	In addition, information on the Exceptional Case Procedure was published in the  Official Report in answer to parliamentary questions on three occasions in 2006, three in 2008 and three in 2009:
	 2006
	9 October 2006,  Official Report, column 494W
	11 October 2006,  Official Report, column 788W
	12 October 2006,  Official Report, column 866W
	 2008
	4 February 2008,  Official Report, column 805W
	2 July 2008,  Official Report, columns 908-09W
	6 November 2008,  Official Report, column 637W
	 2009
	13 January 2009,  Official Report, column 709W
	3 February 2009,  Official Report, column 1048W
	6 May 2009,  Official Report, column 278W
	In addition, information was published on three occasions in another place in the period January-February 2008.
	It is not possible to disaggregate the cost of publishing this information from other costs incurred in running the NDNAD and publishing the NDNAD annual reports.

Drugs: Crime

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what percentage of those brought into a police station tested positively for class A drugs in 2008-09; and how many offenders entered treatment voluntarily through the Drug Intervention Programme in that year.

Alan Campbell: holding answer 14 September 2009
	 Under the Drug Interventions Programme (DIP), drug testing of offenders for specified class A drugs (heroin and cocaine/crack) in police custody takes place in 107 BCUs. Offenders arrested or charged with a trigger offencelargely acquisitive crime related offencesare required to provide a sample to be tested. In 2008-09, 34 per cent. of those drug tested while in police custody tested positively for class A drugs.
	All treatment takes place with consent and therefore is entered voluntarily.
	DIP identifies drug misusers through a positive drug test, as well as through referral in the community and prison. The number of adults commencing treatment through DIP in 2008-09 was 57,951.

Entry Clearances

Mark Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he plans to publish the research commissioned by his Department on the likely effects of raising the minimum age for  (a) a sponsor and  (b) leave to enter the UK as a spouse or fianc.

Phil Woolas: There is no current intention to formally publish the research commissioned by the Department on the likely effects of raising the minimum age for  (a) a sponsor and  (b) leave to enter the UK as a spouse or fianc.
	The view of the UK Border Agency researchers and two external peer-reviewers was that the research report was not of sufficient quality to be published in the Home Office Research Series. The methodology used for the research was sound, but the subsequent report contained unsubstantiated conclusions and misleading statements.
	The contractor was informed that the full research report was not of suitable quality for publication in the Home Office Research Series but that the Home Office would be content for them to seek publication elsewhere. Research findings have since been published by the contractor on the University of Bristol website and by the Runnymede Trust.
	A summary of the research, subsequently produced by the UK Border Agency researchers in conjunction with the contractors drew out the key findings. This was provided to the Home Affairs Select Committee to inform the consultation on domestic violence, forced marriage and 'honour' based violence. The Department will also be releasing this report under a Freedom of Information Act request. However, it will not be formally publishing in the Home Office Research Series due to the concerns outlined above.

Fixed Penalties

Neil Gerrard: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many fixed penalty notices were issued in each of the last 24 months by each police force in England and Wales.

Alan Campbell: holding answer 14 September 2009
	Information on the number of fixed penalty notices for motoring offences is provided in table A.
	Additionally, data provided by the Ministry of Justice on Penalty Notices for Disorder (PNDs) issued to persons aged 16 and over in England and Wales, by police force area and month, for 2006 and 2007 (latest available) are given in tables B and C.
	Information on fixed penalty notices for motoring offences held by the Home Office is not broken down by months and therefore we are unable to provide you with data in this way.
	
		
			  Table A: Fixed penalty notices issued for all offences by offence group and police force area for England and Wales, 2006 and 2007 
			  Police force area  2006  2007 
			 Avon and Somerset 88,251 95,346 
			 Bedfordshire 60,858 39,813 
			 Cambridgeshire 39,021 43,084 
			 Cheshire 60,133 60,568 
			 Cleveland 27,465 21,559 
			 Cumbria 40,257 35,732 
			 Derbyshire 47,670 36,226 
			 Devon and Cornwall 108,040 119,436 
			 Dorset 59,562 45,895 
			 Durham 12,464 13,058 
			 Essex 96,807 81,172 
			 Gloucestershire 32,624 25,094 
			 Greater Manchester 126,293 100,607 
			 Hampshire 84,041 77,547 
			 Hertfordshire 102,957 63,038 
			 Humberside 62,598 57,381 
			 Kent 63,378 64,231 
			 Lancashire 73,024 70,076 
			 Leicestershire 59,274 38,089 
			 Lincolnshire 52,675 46,779 
			 London, City of 14,978 8,493 
			 Merseyside 77,366 78,720 
			 Metropolitan 208,815 167,960 
			 Norfolk 37,532 36,818 
			 North Yorkshire 21,359 28,409 
			 Northamptonshire 52,447 60,135 
			 Northumbria 95,988 70,254 
			 Nottinghamshire 70,080 63,176 
			 South Yorkshire 74,168 62,827 
			 Staffordshire 70,679 52,687 
			 Suffolk 49,021 49,108 
			 Surrey 59,111 43,291 
			 Sussex 102,528 98,339 
			 Thames Valley 158,197 99,299 
			 Warwickshire 45,748 40,865 
			 West Mercia 73,053 75,372 
			 West Midlands 93,391 88,059 
			 West Yorkshire 102,114 88,020 
			 Wiltshire 63,374 46,018 
			
			 Total England 2,767,341 2,392,581 
			
			 Dyfed - Powys 15,262 16,145 
			 Gwent 25,782 23,628 
			 North Wales 79,354 62,635 
			 South Wales 130,542 131,664 
			
			 Total Wales 250,940 234,072 
			
			 England and Wales 3,018,281 2,626,653 
		
	
	
		
			 Table B: Number of penalty notices for disorder issued to persons aged 16 and over, by police force area and month, England and Wales 2006(1) 
			  Police force area  Total  Jan  Feb  Mar  Apr  May  Jun  Jul  Aug  Sept  Oct  Nov  Dec 
			 Avon and Somerset 3,951 269 283 283 315 318 304 331 339 340 436 346 387 
			 Bedfordshire 1,645 129 110 150 145 155 125 160 155 133 124 133 126 
			 British Transport police 3,058 (2) (2) 121 268 314 279 358 337 262 341 390 388 
			 Cambridgeshire 1,518 89 89 65 83 95 156 122 133 119 164 185 218 
			 Cheshire 2,283 190 170 144 178 194 201 183 184 198 193 174 274 
			 Cleveland 3,570 289 260 233 300 280 267 275 302 347 319 290 408 
			 Cumbria 1,693 119 99 91 124 114 173 147 155 139 176 146 210 
			 Derbyshire 2,583 157 155 163 184 174 204 239 225 247 276 279 280 
			 Devon and Cornwall 7,022 535 466 498 543 592 574 622 627 587 628 632 718 
			 Dorset 2,309 171 160 196 183 181 169 211 230 198 210 180 220 
			 Durham 1,591 74 91 143 171 129 133 152 130 156 134 115 163 
			 Essex 4,461 382 350 346 351 377 392 414 335 316 417 312 469 
			 Gloucestershire 3,164 287 259 315 294 323 272 277 250 252 208 189 238 
			 Greater Manchester 10,881 830 835 719 878 870 897 888 881 908 1,049 941 1,185 
			 Hampshire 4,909 307 330 320 358 365 432 439 432 491 463 459 513 
			 Hertfordshire 5,615 302 478 422 442 424 465 577 499 549 537 429 491 
			 Humberside 5,490 259 290 325 338 347 417 449 452 513 692 741 667 
			 Kent 7,080 630 561 575 568 588 573 590 602 573 608 561 651 
			 Lancashire 12,479 883 935 944 1,098 1,067 1,079 1,175 1,064 1,091 1,082 993 1,068 
			 Leicestershire 2,426 193 162 157 163 195 203 215 175 203 238 222 300 
			 Lincolnshire 2,049 237 163 143 207 192 149 149 169 175 161 122 182 
			 London, City of 316 14 20 28 13 30 23 19 26 27 32 34 50 
			 Merseyside 11,709 1,103 1,106 1,235 1,211 1,204 1,059 945 837 676 736 704 893 
			 Metropolitan 20,856 1,473 1,564 1,599 1,594 1,811 1,818 1,667 1,701 1,708 1,956 1,902 2,063 
			 Norfolk 1,332 52 53 76 94 67 129 136 163 134 144 123 161 
			 North Yorkshire 2,395 150 145 150 153 197 180 192 230 225 230 231 312 
			 Northamptonshire 2,541 173 189 164 167 227 240 249 185 211 222 217 297 
			 Northumbria 6,418 319 280 274 580 612 551 663 576 572 642 577 772 
			 Nottinghamshire 2,304 186 174 213 176 202 171 203 164 178 185 195 257 
			 South Yorkshire 6,185 399 333 386 404 511 466 498 518 539 637 612 882 
			 Staffordshire 3,261 247 263 267 306 291 272 270 214 247 261 251 372 
			 Suffolk 1,472 76 94 95 92 118 128 156 127 155 137 123 171 
			 Surrey 2,844 77 74 66 113 147 216 291 354 360 381 329 436 
			 Sussex 5,268 400 408 425 494 384 482 490 473 409 488 373 442 
			 Thames Valley 6,789 388 439 405 569 482 548 581 644 654 732 582 765 
			 Warwickshire 1,049 76 87 77 71 74 117 93 60 85 113 84 112 
			 West Mercia 3,533 256 226 283 315 268 333 322 309 315 294 263 349 
			 West Midlands 8,015 693 619 587 601 629 578 611 641 720 767 729 840 
			 West Yorkshire 8,930 698 811 774 786 818 771 752 676 676 688 703 777 
			 Wiltshire 1,246 92 75 111 127 123 120 101 70 110 113 91 113 
			   
			 England 186,240 13,204 13,206 13,568 15,057 15,489 15,666 16,212 15,644 15,798 17,214 15,962 19,220 
			   
			 Dyfed Powys 1,393 92 107 90 160 130 120 160 109 115 114 94 102 
			 Gwent 2,050 175 122 169 159 148 155 144 144 184 242 183 225 
			 North Wales 6,167 363 385 410 476 526 485 498 583 632 566 519 724 
			 South Wales 5,347 288 304 327 330 400 551 533 499 496 555 488 576 
			   
			 Wales 14,957 918 918 996 1,125 1,204 1,311 1,335 1,335 1,427 1,477 1,284 1,627 
			   
			 England and Wales 201,197 14,122 14,124 14,564 16,182 16,693 16,977 17,547 16,979 17,225 18,691 17,246 20,847 
			 (1) Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used. (2) Not applicable. The British Transport Police started issuing PNDs on 1 March 2006. 
		
	
	
		
			  Table C: Number of penalty notices for disorder issued to persons aged 16 and over, by police force area and month, England and Wales 2007( 1) 
			  Police force area  Total  Jan  Feb  Mar  Apr  May  Jun  Jul  Aug  Sept  Oct  Nov  Dec 
			 Avon and Somerset 2,950 278 270 294 272 245 250 246 237 213 220 223 202 
			 Bedfordshire 1,336 103 107 132 111 107 116 96 102 129 112 114 107 
			 British Transport police 4,867 362 400 426 432 426 431 458 453 406 368 361 344 
			 Cambridgeshire 2,249 179 168 163 192 171 205 193 213 185 178 197 205 
			 Cheshire 2,206 184 194 210 191 204 175 186 169 158 188 150 197 
			 Cleveland 3,803 334 356 356 372 312 279 294 295 265 303 294 343 
			 Cumbria 1,650 130 115 116 106 127 163 167 164 125 141 125 171 
			 Derbyshire 2,730 240 203 261 262 303 255 188 191 204 229 191 203 
			 Devon and Cornwall 5,703 604 427 453 505 519 501 555 558 480 364 344 393 
			 Dorset 1,798 154 120 158 142 169 178 160 170 138 157 127 125 
			 Durham 1,839 144 155 182 167 190 168 133 108 162 152 126 152 
			 Essex 4,402 332 365 413 408 437 396 383 360 290 351 302 365 
			 Gloucestershire 2,330 219 165 243 202 200 223 176 227 190 186 179 120 
			 Greater Manchester 9,896 826 816 862 865 810 891 760 775 848 821 785 837 
			 Hampshire 6,005 498 470 498 482 497 560 566 569 477 456 476 456 
			 Hertfordshire 4,428 456 427 402 357 380 413 366 287 316 343 364 317 
			 Humberside 8,339 681 548 745 707 721 708 768 710 718 672 676 685 
			 Kent 7,960 622 644 702 693 737 681 601 686 643 611 685 655 
			 Lancashire 12,856 971 1,060 1,110 1,092 1,109 1,140 1,128 1,173 1,024 961 994 1,094 
			 Leicestershire 2,519 195 183 202 209 223 229 237 204 185 205 208 239 
			 Lincolnshire 1,758 120 129 162 150 131 156 185 165 152 131 107 170 
			 London, City of 415 31 38 28 43 32 15 41 20 35 47 30 55 
			 Merseyside 9,270 729 651 798 811 890 748 847 787 712 694 739 864 
			 Metropolitan 24,655 1,818 1,764 2,022 1,916 2,159 2,207 2,297 2,277 1,968 2,119 2,130 1,978 
			 Norfolk 1,560 116 127 134 121 174 99 146 142 126 119 113 143 
			 North Yorkshire 3,715 322 266 333 365 378 332 305 341 313 271 213 276 
			 Northamptonshire 2,377 239 150 192 259 222 190 185 169 175 196 186 214 
			 Northumbria 7,542 578 629 662 661 652 581 674 528 634 594 605 744 
			 Nottinghamshire 2,551 183 205 243 200 206 210 196 239 210 223 215 221 
			 South Yorkshire 7,983 564 635 677 693 650 552 665 666 706 718 712 745 
			 Staffordshire 2,967 253 199 269 257 273 260 258 236 255 189 228 290 
			 Suffolk 1,879 123 92 161 143 176 200 186 180 162 155 131 170 
			 Surrey 3,786 336 272 363 345 370 376 354 280 321 263 251 255 
			 Sussex 5,091 412 387 401 401 435 447 468 417 416 441 417 449 
			 Thames Valley 8,538 619 660 720 709 662 749 764 714 708 738 653 842 
			 Warwickshire 897 74 84 84 83 85 75 54 63 56 72 76 91 
			 West Mercia 2,914 234 190 224 259 217 254 243 249 262 250 233 299 
			 West Midlands 7,860 657 631 698 708 720 644 731 611 578 570 620 692 
			 West Yorkshire 6,002 625 518 600 558 522 555 568 474 429 362 381 410 
			 Wiltshire 1,203 83 73 78 79 83 100 113 92 124 97 111 170 
			   
			 England 192,829 15,628 14,893 16,777 16,528 16,924 16,712 16,941 16,301 15,498 15,267 15,072 16,288 
			   
			 Dyfed Powys 995 117 80 81 111 90 76 74 74 82 60 70 80 
			 Gwent 1,861 142 142 152 158 145 149 169 177 151 157 155 164 
			 North Wales 5,907 536 487 579 609 569 529 571 430 381 378 405 433 
			 South Wales 5,952 398 450 524 491 481 582 581 514 535 485 472 439 
			   
			 Wales 14,715 1,193 1,159 1,336 1,369 1,285 1,336 1,395 1,195 1,149 1,080 1,102 1,116 
			   
			 England and Wales 207,544 16,821 16,052 18,113 17,897 18,209 18,048 18,336 17,496 16,647 16,347 16,174 17,404 
			 (1) Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used.

Fly Tipping: Prosecutions

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many  (a) prosecutions have been made and  (b) fixed penalty notices have been issued by (i) police and (ii) local authorities for (A) fly tipping, (B) graffiti, (C) dog fouling, (D) the dropping of litter and (E) parking offences in (1) 2007-08 and (2) 2008-09.

Alan Campbell: holding answer 9 September 2009
	Information provided by the Ministry of Justice, showing the number of defendants proceeded against at magistrates courts for fly tipping, other criminal damage, dog fouling, dropping of litter and parking offences in England and Wales in 2007 are given in the table. Please note that data reported to the Ministry of Justice do not separately identify graffiti offences from other criminal damage offences. Court proceedings data are published by calendar year; 2007 is the latest available, data for 2008 will be available towards the end of 2009. The statistics relate to persons for whom these offences were the principal offence for which they were dealt with. When a defendant has been found guilty of two or more offences the principal offence is the offence for which the heaviest penalty is imposed. Where the same disposal is imposed for two or more offences, the offence selected is the offence for which the statutory maximum penalty is the most severe.
	Offences of fly tipping, dog fouling, the dropping of litter and parking offences are summary offences and do not feature in the police recorded crime statistics collected by the Home Office. The Home Office does collect penalty notice for disorder (PND) data on recorded offences of criminal damage, which includes graffiti-related offences, although these are part of an aggregate count and therefore cannot be separately identified.
	Information on fixed penalties for motoring offences (FPNs) reported to the Home Office shows that there were 446,816 FPNs issued for 'obstruction, waiting and parking offences' in 2007. Data for 2008 are scheduled to be published in March 2010.
	Additionally, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) publishes data on fixed penalty notices for environmental offences. The most recent published information can be found on the DEFRA website which can be viewed via the following web link:
	http://www.defra.gov.uk/environment/localenv/legislation/fpn/index.htm
	
		
			  Number of defendants proceeded against at magistrates courts for selected offences, England and Wales, 2007( 1,2) 
			  Offence  2007 
			 Fly tipping(3) 1,842 
			 Other criminal damage(4) 13,379 
			 Dog fouling(5) 376 
			 Littering(6) 3,066 
			 Parking offences(7) 6,370 
			 (1) The statistics relate to persons for whom these offences were the principal offences for which they were dealt with. When a defendant has been found guilty of two or more offences the principal offence is the offence for which the heaviest penalty is imposed. Where the same disposal is imposed for two or more offences, the offence selected is the offence for which the statutory maximum penalty is the most severe. (2) Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used. (3) Covers offences under sections 33(6),33(8),33(9),34 and 59 of the Environmental Protection Act 1990. (4) Offences of graffiti cannot be separately identified within the other criminal damage category. (5) Covers offences under section 3 of the 1996 Dogs (Fouling of Land) Act. (6) Covers offences under sections 87 and 94 of the 1990 Environmental Protection Act, section 1 of the 1989 Control of Pollution (Amendment) Act and section 2 of the Refuse Disposal (Amenity) Act 1978. (7) Covers offences under sections 19,21, 22 and 160 of the 1988 Road Traffic Act, sections 173,174,175 and 190 of the 2000 Transport Act, ss 78,79 and 82 of 2004 Traffic Management Act, ss 72 and 78 of the 1835 Highway Act, s54 of the 1839 Metropolitan Police Act, ss5(1),8,32-36 and 45-53 of the 1984 Road Traffic Regulation Act, and RR101 and 103 of the 1986 Road Vehicles (Construction and Use) Regulations.  Source: Evidence and Analysis UnitOffice for Criminal Justice Reform

Human Trafficking

Anthony Steen: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people trafficked into the UK have been flown back to their country of origin  (a) in and  (b) outside the EU in the last 12 months; and what estimate he has made of the cost to his Department of such journeys.

Phil Woolas: holding answer 14 September 2009
	Between 1 April 2009 and 31 August 2009 a total of 275 referrals into the National Referral Mechanism were recorded by the UK Human Trafficking Centre (UKHTC). These referrals were made by the UK Border Agency, Police Services, Local Authorities and Non-Governmental Agencies. This includes foreign nationals from both within and outside the European Economic Area and British Citizens.
	Many of these cases are still under consideration, but UK Border Agency records show that none of those subject to immigration control have been removed or departed voluntarily from the UK. There has therefore been no cost for such journeys to date.
	Information on historic cases considered before the new National Referral Mechanism could not be obtained without the detailed examination of individual records at disproportionate cost.
	Statistical information on the National Referral Mechanism is published quarterly on the UKHTC website:
	http://www.ukhtc.org/#statistical
	Statistical information for the period 1 July30 September will be published on the UKHTC website at the end of September 2009.

Human Trafficking

Anthony Steen: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department in what proportion of cases referred to the National Referral Mechanism for Victims of Trafficking were individuals found to have had  (a) reasonable and  (b) conclusive grounds for having been trafficked.

Phil Woolas: holding answer 16 September 2009
	Between 1 April 2009 and 31 August 2009 a total of 275 referrals into the national referral mechanism were recorded by the UK Human Trafficking Centre (UKHTC). A total of 196 reasonable grounds decisions were made by competent authorities based in the UKHTC and UK Border Agency during this period. 151 or just over three quarters of these individuals were found to have reasonable grounds to believe that they were trafficked.
	During the same period a total of 57 conclusive grounds decisions were made by competent authorities. 43 or roughly three quarters of these individuals were found to have conclusive grounds to believe that they were trafficked.
	Statistical information on the national referral mechanism is published quarterly on the UK Human Trafficking Centre's website
	http://www.ukhtc.org/#statistical.

Illegal Immigrants: Employment

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many employers have been  (a) detected and  (b) found employing illegal immigrants under the civil penalty system under the Immigration, Asylum and Nationality Act 2006; and how much has been imposed in fines under that system.

Phil Woolas: holding answer 16 September 2009
	The Immigration, Asylum and Nationality Act 2006 has, since it came into force on 29 February 2008, allowed the UK Border Agency to issue civil penalties of up to 10,000 per worker to employers who are found to be liable for employing illegal migrant workers.
	Internal management information shows that for the period 29 February 2008 to 31 August 2009, 3509 notices of potential liability were issued to employers following enforcement visits by UK Border Agency officials of which, 2731 have so far led to notices of actual liability being served against employers, with a potential value of over 27 million in fines.
	These figures do not constitute part of National Statistics as they are based on internal management information. The information has not been quality assured under National Statistics protocols, should be treated as provisional and is subject to change.

Illegal Immigrants: France

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps he is taking to improve conditions for illegal immigrants in the holding area in the UK Border Agency jurisdiction in Calais.

Phil Woolas: Both the UK and French Governments remain committed to further joint action to achieve our common goals under the strong UK-French partnership on migration.
	Discussions are ongoing for the construction of a secure facility in the UK control zone to replace our existing facility. This will hold and process illegal immigrants found by UK Border Agency officials and their contractors, for short periods, until they can be handed over to the French border police and processed under French law. All details, including financing, are still under discussion between officials.
	We continue to develop a package of measures to target, dismantle and prosecute the networks of facilitators and traffickers who exploit illegal immigrants. These measures include world leading technology, enhanced intelligence and closer working between all agencies.
	We are concerned about humanitarian situation faced by individuals in the Calais region and will provide support to those in genuine need. However, the message is clearthe only way to live and work in France and the UK is by legal routes.

Immigration

James Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many  (a) employment-related grants of settlement,  (b) family formation and reunion grants of settlement and  (c) other grants of settlement on a discretionary basis have been made in (i) each quarter since 1 January 2006 and (ii) each year since 1992.

Phil Woolas: The latest quarterly figures were published in table 14 in the Control of Immigration: Quarterly Statistical Summary, United KingdomSecond Quarter 2009. A copy of the table is as follows. Data for quarter three are scheduled for publication on 26 November 2009.
	Home Office statistical publications are available from the Library of the House and from the Home Office Research, Development and Statistics website at:
	http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/immigration-asylum-stats.html
	The latest annual figures from 1997 are given in table 1. It is not possible to provide information in the format requested prior to 1997 as this would incur disproportionate cost.
	
		
			  Table 1: Grants of settlement by category of grant, excluding EEA and Swiss nationals( 1,2)  1997 to 2008, United Kingdom 
			  Number of persons 
			  Broad category of grant  1997  1998  1999  2000  2001  2002 
			  Employment( 7)
			 Employment with a work permit after 4/5 years 2,840 3,150 3,280 4,445 4,335 5,845 
			 Spouses and dependants 3,565 3,790 3,580 5,140 5,045 6,835 
			
			 Permit-free employment, businessman, persons of independent means 975 1,060 835 1,685 1,050 1,095 
			 Spouses and dependants 1,195 1,190 1,005 1,115 845 680 
			
			 Commonwealth citizens with a UK-born grandparent 1,110 1,675 2,240 2,580 3,255 4,060 
			 Spouses and dependants 225 365 540 640 725 1,290 
			 Total employment-related grants 9,910 11,230 11,480 15,610 15,255 19,800 
			
			  Asylum( 8)   
			 Refugees(9) and persons given exceptional leave to remain 4,830 6,680 22,505 25,355 17,965 18,235 
			 Spouses and dependants 6,950 5,955 16,155 20,600 10,555 11,705 
			 Total asylum-related grants 11,780 12,630 38,660 45,950 28,520 29,940 
			
			 Family formation and reunion(10)   
			 Husbands(11) 10,715 13,020 14,580 14,495 16,915 15,520 
			 Wives(11) 16,310 18,515 20,095 24,265 26,835 25,120 
			 Children 3,830 3,865 4,340 6,870 6,795 6,355 
			 Parents and grandparents 1,185 1,335 1,080 2,435 1,760 1,750 
			 Other and unspecified dependants 945 288 2,065 5,000 4,570 4,015 
			 Total family grants 32,985 39,615 42,155 53,065 56,875 52,760 
			
			 Other grants on a discretionary basis(12) 4,050 6,305 4,820 11,320 7,760 10,980 
			
			 Category unknown n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 2,490 
			
			 Grand total 58,725 69,790 97,115 125,945 108,410 115,965 
		
	
	
		
			  Number of persons 
			  Broad category of grant  2003( 3)  2004( 4, 5)  2005( 4)  2006( 4)  2007( 4, 6)  2008( 4, 6 *) 
			  Employment( 7)
			 Employment with a work permit after 4/5 years 9,190 16,205 25,470 11,270 15,165 23,275 
			 Spouses and dependants 10,620 17,050 27,340 12,340 18,065 30,580 
			
			 Permit-free employment, businessman, persons of independent means 1,550 1,545 1,945 3,265 865 2,065 
			 Spouses and dependants 1,050 1,020 1,570 2,315 700 1,790 
			
			 Commonwealth citizens with a UK-born grandparent 5,275 4,755 4,795 1,900 1,675 2,090 
			 Spouses and dependants 1,945 1,680 1,895 740 730 970 
			 Total employment-related grants 29,635 42,260 63,015 31,830 37,210 60,770 
			
			  Asylum( 8)   
			 Refugees(9) and persons given exceptional leave to remain 12,185 19,025 33,850 19,075 10,250 2,965 
			 Spouses and dependants 9,915 33,525 33,960 11,580 3,940 755 
			 Total asylum-related grants 22,105 52,555 67,810 30,655 14,190 3,720 
			
			 Family formation and reunion(10)   
			 Husbands(11) 17,370 8,185 8,710 15,520 13,810 15,985 
			 Wives(11) 30,790 12,920 15,585 27,200 23,175 25,335 
			 Children 8,950 5,850 6,715 9,290 8,495 8,250 
			 Parents and grandparents 3,090 1,985 1,450 1,470 1,000 970 
			 Other and unspecified dependants 5,000 4,300 4,880 6,325 4,345 4,780 
			 Total family grants 65,200 33,240 37,335 59,800 50,820 55,325 
			
			 Other grants on a discretionary basis(12) 16,160 6,715 6,400 7,720 18,750 28,030 
			
			 Category unknown 6,175 4,440 4,565 4,440 3,880 900 
			
			 Grand total 139,280 139,210 179,120 134,445 124,855 148,740 
			 * = Provisional n/a = Not applicable (1) Nationals of EU accession countries are included or excluded according to their accession date. (2) Data from 2003 exclude dependants of EEA and Swiss nationals in confirmed relationships granted permanent residence. (3) Excludes reconsideration cases. (4) May include a small number of cases in which a decision is recorded twice, where an individual has dual nationality. (5) Includes nationals of Cyprus, Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Slovakia and Slovenia before 1 May 2004, but excludes them from this date. (6) Excludes Bulgaria and Romania. (7) In 2006 the qualifying period for settlement in all employment-related categories changed from four to five years. (8) Includes grants under the Family ILR exercise. (9) Excludes reconsideration cases and the outcome of appeals. (10) Spouses and dependants joining British citizens or persons previously granted settlement. (11) Includes civil and unmarried partners. (12) Data for 2007 and 2008 include persons granted indefinite leave outside the immigration rules under measures aimed at clearing the backlog of outstanding unresolved cases. Data rounded to the nearest 5. 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 14: Grants of settlement( 1, 2, 3)  by category of grant, excluding EEA and Swiss nationals( 4, 5,)  Q1 2006 to Q2 2009 
			   Number of persons 
			  Broad category of grant  2006  2007 
			   Q1  Q2  Q3  Q4  Total  Q1  Q2  Q3  Q4  Total 
			  Employment( 6)   
			 Employment with a work permit after 4/5 years 7,210 2,670 685 710 11,270 1,350 2,880 5,550 5,385 15,165 
			 Spouses and dependants 8,255 2,900 635 550 12,340 1,150 3,470 6,795 6,650 18,065 
			
			 Permit-free employment, businessman, persons of independent means 705 1,820 620 120 3,265 90 175 340 265 865 
			 Spouses and dependants 530 1,305 400 75 2,315 40 120 305 240 700 
			
			 Commonwealth citizens with a UK-born grandparent 1,380 390 75 50 1,900 90 400 710 480 1,675 
			 Spouses and dependants 520 160 40 20 740 30 150 325 230 730 
			 Total employment-related grants 18,600 9,245 2,455 1,530 31,830 2,750 7,195 14,020 13,250 37,210 
			
			  Asylum( 7)   
			 Refugees(8) and persons given ELR, HP or DL(9) 7,460 3,770 2,365 5,480 19,075 4,350 4,630 735 540 10,250 
			 Spouses and dependants 6,315 2,460 1,330 1,480 11,580 1,575 1,390 570 405 3,940 
			 Total asylum-related grants 13,775 6,225 3,695 6,960 30,655 5,920 6,020 1,300 945 14,190 
			
			  Family formation and reunion( 10)   
			 Husbands(11) 4,235 3,815 3,995 3,475 15,520 4,340 3,010 3,380 3,080 13,810 
			 Wives(11) 7,040 6,805 7,290 6,065 27,200 7,215 5,095 5,760 5,100 23,175 
			 Children 2,445 2,375 2,695 1,775 9,290 2,010 2,445 2,305 1,735 8,495 
			 Parents and grandparents 400 355 360 355 1,470 285 280 215 220 1,000 
			 Other and unspecified dependants 1,570 1,655 1,720 1,380 6,325 960 1,075 1,340 970 4,345 
			 Total family grants 15,690 15,010 16,055 13,050 59,800 14,810 11,905 13,000 11,110 50,820 
			
			 Other grants on a discretionary basis(12) 1,700 1,810 2,180 2,030 7,720 1,490 985 5,785 10,495 18,750 
			
			 Category unknown 1,205 1,175 1,045 1,015 4,440 1,165 995 930 795 3,880 
			
			 All grants of settlement 50,965 33,465 25,430 24,585 134,445 26,130 27,095 35,040 36,590 124,855 
		
	
	
		
			   Number of persons 
			   2008( p, r)  2009( p) 
			   Q1  Q2  Q3  Q4  Total  Q1  Q2 
			  Employment( 6)
			 Employment with a work permit after 4/5 years 6,210 5,765 5,585 5,715 23,275 6,565 6,565 
			 Spouses and dependants 7,815 7,210 7,360 8,190 30,580 9,185 9,895 
			1,000 
			 Permit-free employment, businessman, persons of independent means 435 470 605 555 2,065 575  
			 Spouses and dependants 380 400 510 500 1,790 540 1,260 
			 
			 Commonwealth citizens with a UK-born grandparent 655 610 445 375 2,090 460 705 
			 Spouses and dependants 280 300 225 165 970 225 369 
			 Total employment-related grants 15,775 14,755 14,730 15,505 60,770 17,550 19,815 
			496 
			  Asylum( 7)
			 Refugees(8) and persons given ELR, HP or DL(9) 480 535 1,050 900 2,965 535 111 
			 Spouses and dependants 230 115 190 220 755 270  
			 Total asylum-related grants 710 650 1,240 1,115 3,720 805 19,815 
			 
			  Family formation and reunion( 10)
			 Husbands(11) 3,995 4,455 4,140 3,395 15,985 6,250 4,521 
			 Wives(11) 6,185 7,105 6,440 5,605 25,335 10,425 8,420 
			 Children 1,920 2,235 2,245 1,850 8,250 2,250 2,560 
			 Parents and grandparents 240 280 245 210 970 125  
			 Other and unspecified dependants 1,190 1,425 1,220 940 4,780 810 1,210 
			 Total family grants 13,530 15,495 14,290 12,005 55,325 19,860 16,965 
			 
			 Other grants on a discretionary basis(12) 10,195 5,375 5,455 7,005 28,030 19,860 16,965 
			 
			 Category unknown 375 235 190 100 900 95 8,682 
			 All grants of settlement 40,590 36,510 35,910 35,730 148,740 44,870 46,120 
			 (P) = Provisional figures. (R) = revised figures. (1) Figures rounded to the nearest 5 and may not sum to the totals shown because of independent rounding. (2) Includes reconsideration cases and the outcome of appeals. (3) May include a small number of cases in which a decision is recorded twice, where an individual has dual nationality. (4) Data exclude dependants of EEA and Swiss nationals in confirmed relationships granted permanent residence. (5) Excludes Bulgaria and Romania from 1 January 2007. (6) In April 2006, the qualifying period for settlement in all employment-related categories changed from 4 to 5 years delaying grants of settlement that would otherwise have occurred earlier. (7) Asylum-related grants of settlement were at high levels between Q1 2006 and Q2 2007 due to the Family Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR) exercise and due to grants to persons given exceptional leave four years previously. (8) Excludes reconsideration cases and the outcome of appeals. (9) Exceptional leave to remain (ELR), Humanitarian Protection (HP), Discretionary Leave (DL). (10) Spouses and dependants joining British citizens or persons previously granted settlement. (11) Includes civil and unmarried partners. (12) Data from Q3 2007 include persons granted indefinite leave outside the immigration rules under measures aimed at clearing the backlog of outstanding unresolved cases.

Internet

Willie Rennie: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  pursuant to the answer of 9 July 2009,  Official Report, column 963W, on the internet, what estimate his Department has made of the cost of sponsoring such systems in each of the next five years;
	(2)  for what reasons such communications data are collected;
	(3)  on how many occasions stored communications data have been used in the last two years;
	(4)  what contribution internet service providers make to the cost of systems sponsored by his Department;
	(5)  what proportion of the cost of sponsoring systems to enable communications service providers to store communications data his Department funds;
	(6)  to what use his Department puts the information stored by communication services providers; how often it has accessed such stored information in each of the last five years; what steps his Department takes to ensure the security of such information; and on how many occasions in the last five years such information has assisted in the positive identification of a person preparing terrorist acts.

David Hanson: Communications service providers (CSP) are reimbursed by Government grant for their reasonable and agreed costs in retaining communications data that they are required or permitted to retain under the Data Retention (EC Directive) Regulations 2009 or under the code of practice on data retention approved by Parliament under Part 11 of the Anti-Terrorism Crime and Security Act 2001 (ATCSA).
	The Regulations require the retention of communication data for the investigation, detection and prosecution of serious crime. The ATCSA permits communications data retention for the purposes of safeguarding national security and for the purposes of preventing or detecting crime. The Government grant covers the total cost of installing or modifying equipment or implementing new processes to enable the effective and efficient retention of communications data. An independent and regulated audit firm is retained by the Home Office to ensure that costs are reasonable; that the reimbursement is for legitimate expenditure; and that CSPs do not derive commercial benefit from processes developed with these grants. CSPs are required to contribute if they receive a commercial benefit.
	The independent and regulated audit firm also conducts security assessments to ensure that each CSP's data retention solution meets both industry best practice and Government and law enforcement rules on handling personal data.
	The passing of the security assessment is a requirement of being reimbursed by the Home Office.
	The UK Borders Agency (UKBA) is the only part of the Home Office that is able to acquire communications data. The UKBA acquires communications data to prevent and detect crime in relation to immigration offences or customs detection work at the UK borders. The Interception of Communications Commissioner compiles statistics on the acquisition of communications data by public authorities under the regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000. In calendar year 2008 there were 504,073 requirements made of CSPs; the corresponding figure for 2007 was 519,260. The Interception Commissioner has not detailed the figures by individual public authority.
	The forecast expenditure on communication data retention systems is 30.35 million which is broken down as per the following table:
	
		
			   million 
			  Financial year  Capital  Resource 
			 2009-10 12.10 1.90 
			 2010-11 12.20 2.63 
			 2011-12 6.05 2.99 
			 2012-13 6.05 2.88 
			 2013-14 6.05 2.76

Members: Correspondence

David Winnick: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he plans to respond to the letter of 27 July 2009 from the hon. Member for Walsall North concerning a constituent.

Phil Woolas: holding answer 14 September 2009
	 My hon. Friend's letter was passed to the Chief Executive of the UK Border Agency for reply. The Chief Executive replied on 11 September 2009.

Offences Against Children: Internet

Margaret Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what data his Department holds on the relationship between viewing images of child abuse online and child abuse.

Alan Campbell: This is a subject that is of concern to the UK and other countries, and earlier this year law enforcement, represented for the UK by the Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre (CEOP), government and academic experts from the G8 nations and others came together to discuss these issues. This led to a G8 Justice and Home Affairs Ministerial Statement on The risk to children posed by child pornography offenders. The experts concluded that there was a relationship between viewing and contact offending, although more work was required to determine the exact nature of that relationship. Additionally there was a recognition that, based on conviction evidence a significant proportion of image offenders had committed some form of contact offence; and the exchange of child abuse images and communication between child sexual offenders was used by them to legitimise and normalise their beliefs and behaviours providing a social context which encourages the further exploitation of children.

Offensive Weapons: Convictions

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many  (a) under 18-year-olds and  (b) 18-year-olds and over were convicted in each police authority area of illegally carrying (i) knives and (ii) other weapons in (A) 2007-08 and (B) 2008-09; and if he will make a statement.

David Hanson: holding answer 14 September 2009
	The information is provided by the Ministry of Justice.
	Information showing the number of defendants found guilty at all courts of illegally carrying knives and other weapons in England and Wales, broken down by age and force for 2007 (latest available) can be viewed in the table. Court proceedings data are published by calendar year; 2007 is the latest available, data for 2008 are due to be available towards the end of 2009.
	The statistics relate to persons for whom these offences were the principal offence for which they were dealt with. When a defendant has been found guilty of two or more offences the principal offence is the offence for which the heaviest penalty is imposed. Where the same disposal is imposed for two or more offences, the offence selected is the offence for which the statutory maximum penalty is the most severe.
	
		
			  Number of defendants found guilty at all courts for illegally carrying knives( 1)  and other weapons( 2) , England and Wales, by age and force, 2007( 3, 4) 
			  Force  Age  Knives  Other weapons 
			 Avon and Somerset 10-17 29 29 
			  18 and over 134 148 
			  Total 163 177 
			 Bedfordshire 10-17 19 13 
			  18 and over 43 75 
			  Total 62 88 
			 Cambridgeshire 10-17 11 11 
			  18 and over 43 64 
			  Total 54 75 
			 Cheshire 10-17 15 20 
			  18 and over 93 92 
			  Total 108 112 
			 City of London 10-17 0 0 
			  18 and over 9 7 
			  Total 9 7 
			 Cleveland 10-17 15 15 
			  18 and over 75 97 
			  Total 90 112 
			 Cumbria 10-17 8 16 
			  18 and over 38 73 
			  Total 46 89 
			 Derbyshire 10-17 21 25 
			  18 and over 78 118 
			  Total 99 143 
			 Devon and Cornwall 10-17 19 21 
			  18 and over 119 95 
			  Total 138 116 
			 Dorset 10-17 13 11 
			  18 and over 50 54 
			  Total 63 65 
			 Durham 10-17 21 33 
			  18 and over 71 89 
			  Total 92 122 
			 Essex 10-17 32 43 
			  18 and over 128 135 
			  Total 160 178 
			 Gloucestershire 10-17 10 17 
			  18 and over 31 36 
			  Total 41 53 
			 Greater Manchester 10-17 76 125 
			  18 and over 318 480 
			  Total 394 605 
			 Hampshire 10-17 37 58 
			  18 and over 132 184 
			  Total 169 242 
			 Hertfordshire 10-17 18 29 
			  18 and over 50 90 
			  Total 68 119 
			 Humberside 10-17 27 34 
			  18 and over 120 112 
			  Total 147 146 
			 Kent 10-17 0 36 
			  18 and over 5 152 
			  Total 5 188 
			 Lancashire 10-17 24 64 
			  18 and over 127 200 
			  Total 151 264 
			 Leicestershire 10-17 26 40 
			  18 and over 92 132 
			  Total 118 172 
			 Lincolnshire 10-17 4 16 
			  18 and over 43 58 
			  Total 47 74 
			 Merseyside 10-17 39 67 
			  18 and over 176 290 
			  Total 215 357 
			 Metropolitan Police 10-17 321 415 
			  18 and over 1,138 1,448 
			  Total 1,459 1,863 
			 Norfolk 10-17 8 15 
			  18 and over 70 66 
			  Total 78 81 
			 North Yorkshire 10-17 12 25 
			  18 and over 40 77 
			  Total 52 102 
			 Northamptonshire 10-17 1 6 
			  18 and over 3 33 
			  Total 4 39 
			 Northumbria 10-17 62 76 
			  18 and over 197 269 
			  Total 259 345 
			 Nottinghamshire 10-17 35 48 
			  18 and over 117 165 
			  Total 152 213 
			 South Yorkshire 10-17 31 47 
			  18 and over 107 163 
			  Total 138 210 
			 Staffordshire 10-17 21 30 
			  18 and over 65 138 
			  Total 86 168 
			 Suffolk 10-17 17 17 
			  18 and over 72 66 
			  Total 89 83 
			 Surrey 10-17 5 12 
			  18 and over 37 46 
			  Total 42 58 
			 Sussex 10-17 31 34 
			  18 and over 109 119 
			  Total 140 153 
			 Thames Valley 10-17 25 41 
			  18 and over 114 153 
			  Total 139 194 
			 Warwickshire 10-17 6 8 
			  18 and over 26 43 
			  Total 32 51 
			 West Mercia 10-17 19 21 
			  18 and over 81 101 
			  Total 100 122 
			 West Midlands 10-17 77 121 
			  18 and over 315 420 
			  Total 392 541 
			 West Yorkshire 10-17 36 60 
			  18 and over 154 265 
			  Total 190 325 
			 Wiltshire 10-17 11 9 
			  18 and over 37 48 
			  Total 48 57 
			 Dyfed-Powys 10-17 9 6 
			  18 and over 26 28 
			  Total 35 34 
			 Gwent 10-17 13 12 
			  18 and over 53 72 
			  Total 66 84 
			 North Wales 10-17 10 21 
			  18 and over 79 94 
			  Total 89 115 
			 South Wales 10-17 16 33 
			  18 and over 124 209 
			  Total 140 242 
			 England and Wales 10-17 1230 1780 
			  18 and over 4939 6804 
			  Total 6,169 8,584 
			 (1) Covers; Criminal Justice Act 1988 S139, S139A(1)(5)(a) (2) Covers; Criminal Justice Act 1988 S139A(2)(5)(b). Firearms Act 1968 S1(1). S5(1). S5(1)(b),S5(1A)(b)('c),(d)(e)(f) or (g), 5(1A)(a), S2(1), S16.S16A, S17(2), S18 (1), S19, S21(4) S22(2),(3)1(4),{5). Prevention of Crime Act 1953 S1(1). (3) The statistics relate to persons for whom these offences were the principal offences for which they were dealt with. When a defendant has been found guilty of two or more offences the principal offence is the offence for which the heaviest penalty is imposed. Where the same disposal is imposed for two or more offences, the offence selected is the offence for which the statutory maximum penalty is the most severe. (4) Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used.  Source: Evidence and Analysis UnitOffice for Criminal Justice Reform Ref: IOS 445-09

Olympic Security Directorate: Manpower

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many full-time equivalent members of staff are employed in his Department's Olympic Security Directorate; and at what cost in 2009-10.

Phil Woolas: holding answer 14 September 2009
	There are currently 22 FTE staff in post in the Olympic and Paralympics Security Directorate. As Olympic security projects develop this will rise, on current projections, to 83.5 FTE. The forecast full year salary costs for Olympic Security and Paralympic Security Directorate are 3.6 million.

Opiates

James Paice: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the weight notified of  (a) opiate raw materials,  (b) opiate medicinal products,  (c) oxycodone raw material and  (d) codeine raw material was seized by UK drug enforcement authorities in each year between 1999 and 2009.

Alan Campbell: Available data on seizures of opiate raw materials, medicinal opium and oxycodone for 2006-07 and 2007-08 (latest available) are provided in the following table. Data on the separate preparation types seized are provided separately of amounts of weighed items, as it is not possible to accurately estimate the weights of drugs seized in the form of wraps or bags.
	Information on seizures of raw codeine is not available.
	Data on seizures for the drugs requested are presented as 'Other Class A' in publications. These seizures cannot be extracted from these classifications prior to 2006-07.
	Data for 2008-09 are scheduled to be published in October 2009.
	
		
			  Quantity( 1)  of seizures made by the police for selected drugs, by drug preparation type and year, England and Wales 2006-07 and 2007-08 
			   Quantity of seizures 
			  Drug Type  2006-07  2007-08 
			  Opium (raw)   
			 Any weighed items (KG) 4.0 7.4 
			 Wraps/bags (number) 18 7 
			  Opium (medicinal)   
			 Any weighed items (KG)  0.034 
			 Tablets/capsules (number) 60  
			 Wraps/bags (number)   
			 Liquid (ml)  424 
			  Oxycodone   
			 Any weighed items (KG)   
			 Tablets / capsules (number) 133 157 
			 (1)Drugs can be seized in a variety of forms or preparation types. In this table, data on the separate preparation types seized are provided separately of amounts of weighed items, as it is not possible to accurately estimate the weights of drugs seized in the form of wraps or bags.

Passports

Pete Wishart: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what targets the Identity and Passport Service has set for processing of passport applications and renewals.

Phil Woolas: The Identity and Passport Service's published target for the processing of passport application is: to deliver 99.5 per cent. of straightforward online, partner and postal adult renewal and first time child applications within 10 working days.

Passports: Biometrics

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what evidence his Department used to evaluate the effectiveness of e-passports on  (a) security and  (b) efficiency of border immigration arrangements; and if he will make a statement.

Phil Woolas: holding answer 16 September 2009
	The introduction by the UK of the e-Passport containing the holder's personal details and facial image on a contactless chip was part of a major international drive to make travel documents more secure. The UK e-Passport's physical and electronic security features are a significant impediment to forgers and counterfeiters. The UK e-Passport is recognised as a high integrity document, and there is no evidence that anyone has modified or changed the data within the chip on the e-Passport in a way that would pass through the checks made at UK border control.
	In terms of security, if the UK had not introduced the e-Passport then there was a risk that the UK passport would have received greater attention from fraudsters and counterfeiters. Also, UK nationals would have been treated less favourably than those of other nations at border controls and not have been able to travel visa free to the United States.
	The greater assurance and integrity offered by the e-Passport enables border control authorities worldwide to spend more time dealing with higher risk passengers. Accessing the data held on the e-Passport automatically, enables UK Border Force Officers to use their time more efficiently on improved security and fraud checks, making our border even more secure. Additionally, the UK Border Agency is encouraging e-Passport holders to use the facial recognition gates currently being trialled in the UK, providing the travelling public with an easier passage through the controls.

Police: Finance

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the police authority precept was for each authority in England and Wales in  (a) 2007-08 and  (b) 2008-09; and what percentage of each authority's total income precept funding was requested in each year.

David Hanson: holding answer 16 September 2009
	 The information requested is set out in the following table.
	
		
			   2007-08  2008-09 
			  Police authorities  Council tax requirement ( million)  Budget met by council tax (percentage)  Council tax requirement ( million)  Budget met by council tax (percentage) 
			 Avon and Somerset 80.39 32.31 85.26 32.86 
			 Bedfordshire 24.75 27.13 27.49 28.62 
			 Cambridgeshire 39.40 33.96 41.99 34.81 
			 Cheshire 42.56 27.04 50.34 29.95 
			 Cleveland 26.50 22.13 29.27 23.49 
			 Cumbria 29.89 31.79 31.66 32.50 
			 Derbyshire 45.63 30.11 48.05 30.56 
			 Devon and Cornwall 78.64 30.62 85.66 31.95 
			 Dorset 45.35 42.07 47.94 42.89 
			 Durham 25.11 22.35 26.70 23.00 
			 Dyfed-Powys 31.80 37.40 33.86 38.94 
			 Essex 73.23 30.23 77.63 30.92 
			 Gloucestershire 38.92 40.69 41.14 41.49 
			 Greater Manchester 90.79 17.32 98.76 18.12 
			 Gwent 32.00 28.40 33.70 29.48 
			 Hampshire 84.04 29.81 91.65 31.15 
			 Hertfordshire 56.62 33.02 60.23 33.79 
			 Humberside 42.23 25.61 44.33 26.12 
			 Kent 75.16 29.14 79.68 29.86 
			 Lancashire 58.56 23.18 63.39 24.19 
			 Leicestershire 42.95 27.76 49.93 30.32 
			 Lincolnshire 29.71 32.87 38.10 37.86 
			 Merseyside 54.15 17.62 56.68 17.87 
			 Metropolitan 648.96 25.62 664.97 25.63 
			 Norfolk 47.44 36.12 52.05 37.64 
			 North Wales 48.49 37.90 51.25 39.60 
			 North Yorkshire 54.18 42.45 57.12 43.20 
			 Northamptonshire 38.23 34.66 40.86 35.59 
			 Northumbria 31.90 11.81 33.77 12.16 
			 Nottinghamshire 45.00 25.34 47.63 25.79 
			 South Wales 59.93 25.40 63.60 26.47 
			 South Yorkshire 44.71 18.66 47.04 19.08 
			 Staffordshire 56.40 33.01 58.81 33.39 
			 Suffolk 34.08 33.46 37.50 35.09 
			 Surrey 83.21 46.07 92.05 48.07 
			 Sussex 75.64 31.90 79.87 32.59 
			 Thames Valley 117.82 34.21 123.93 34.80 
			 Warwickshire 28.59 35.71 32.63 38.20 
			 West Mercia 67.95 36.87 71.71 37.61 
			 West Midlands 71.58 13.72 74.88 13.78 
			 West Yorkshire 77.82 19.65 82.30 20.03 
			 Wiltshire 33.64 35.03 35.59 35.85

Road Traffic Offences: Cycling

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many cautions were issued in each police force area for riding a bicycle on the pavement in the last year for which figures are available.

Alan Campbell: Information provided by the Ministry of Justice, showing the number of offenders cautioned for Riding a pedal cycle on a footpath in England and Wales, broken down by police force area in 2007 (latest available) can be viewed in following the table. Data for 2008 will be available in the autumn of 2009.
	The cautions statistics relate to persons for whom these offences were the principal offences for which they were dealt with. When a defendant has been cautioned for two or more offences at the same time the principal offence is the more serious offence.
	
		
			  Number of offenders cautioned( 1)  for riding a pedal cycle on a footpath under section 72 of the 1835 Highway Act, in England and Wales, broken down by police force area, 2007( 2,3,4) 
			  Police force area  Cautions 
			 Cumbria 8 
			 North Wales 1 
			 England and Wales 9 
			 (1) From 1 June 2000 the Crime and Disorder Act 1998 came into force nationally and removed the use of cautions for persons under 18 and replaced them with reprimands and warnings. These figures have been included in the totals. (2) The cautions statistics relate to persons for whom these offences were the principal offences for which they were dealt with. When a defendant has been cautioned for two or more offences at the same time the principal offence is the more serious offence. (3) Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used. (4) Where a police force area is not listed in the above table, nil data are appropriate.  Source: Evidence and Analysis UnitOffice for Criminal Justice Reform

Stun Guns: Children

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many times a Taser gun has been used  (a) on a child and  (b) within 10 metres of a child in each police authority area in England in the last 12 months.

David Hanson: holding answer 9 September 2009
	The number of times a Taser has been used on a person under 18 years of age in England and Wales in the 12 months from 1 April 2008 to 31 March 2009 is shown in the table. It was used on 100 occasions and fired 18 times. Information is not collected on the number of times Taser is deployed within 10 metres of a child.
	The total number of subjects of all ages exposed to the use of Taser over this period totals 2,083 individuals.
	I refer the hon. Gentleman to the answer I gave on 23 February 2009,  Official Report, column 186W, for similar figures for 2007 and 2008. In 2007, 36 subjects exposed to the use of Taser were reported as aged under 18, with 714 subjects aged 18 years and over. For the period January to August 2008 subjects under the age of 18 totalled 75, compared to 1,349 subjects 18 years and over.
	The proportion for each time period is in the ratio of 5 per cent. subjects less than 18 years of age to 95 per cent. of subjects 18 years and over.
	
		
			  Taser use in England and Wales, 1 April 2008 to 31 March 2009 
			Usage details 
			  Force  18 years (total)  Discharges  Drive-stuns  Arced  Red Dot 
			 Avon and Somerset Constabulary 2   1 1 
			 Bedfordshire Police 3 1   1 
			 Cambridgeshire Constabulary 11 
			 Cheshire Constabulary  
			 City of London Police  
			 Cleveland Police 3   1 2 
			 Cumbria Constabulary 3   1 2 
			 Derbyshire Constabulary 1 
			 Devon and Cornwall Constabulary 2 
			 Dorset Police  
			 Durham Constabulary 1 
			 Dyfed-Powys Police  
			 Essex Police 3 1 1   
			 Gloucestershire Constabulary  
			 Greater Manchester Police  
			 Gwent Police 3   1  
			 Hampshire Constabulary 1 1
			 Hertfordshire Constabulary 2 1
			 Humberside Police 2 
			 Kent Police  
			 Lancashire Constabulary 2 1
			 Leicestershire Constabulary  
			 Lincolnshire Police 1 
			 Merseyside Police  
			 Metropolitan Police Service 22 7 1  9 
			 Norfolk Constabulary 2   1  
			 North Wales Police 7 1 1  3 
			 North Yorkshire Police 2 
			 Northamptonshire Police  
			 Northumbria Police 21 2   13 
			 Nottinghamshire Police 1 
			 South Wales Police  
			 South Yorkshire Police 1 
			 Staffordshire Police 44 
			 Suffolk Constabulary  
			 Surrey Police  
			 Sussex Police 1 
			 Thames Valley Police 1 
			 Warwickshire Police  
			 West Mercia Constabulary 1 1
			 West Midlands Police  
			 West Yorkshire Police 6 2  1 3 
			 Wiltshire Constabulary 11 
			 Totals 100 18 3 6 54 
		
	
	
		
			   Usage details   
			  Force  Aimed  Drawn  18+ years  Age not stated 
			 Avon and Somerset Constabulary   92 1 
			 Bedfordshire Police  1 34  
			 Cambridgeshire Constabulary   62 1 
			 Cheshire Constabulary   16 1 
			 City of London Police   1  
			 Cleveland Police   30  
			 Cumbria Constabulary   24 1 
			 Derbyshire Constabulary  1 26  
			 Devon and Cornwall Constabulary 1  71  
			 Dorset Police   20 1 
			 Durham Constabulary   32  
			 Dyfed-Powys Police   15 1 
			 Essex Police   40 1 
			 Gloucestershire Constabulary   11  
			 Greater Manchester Police   17 1 
			 Gwent Police 1  46 1 
			 Hampshire Constabulary   11  
			 Hertfordshire Constabulary   48  
			 Humberside Police  1 95 1 
			 Kent Police   19 1 
			 Lancashire Constabulary   55 1 
			 Leicestershire Constabulary   53  
			 Lincolnshire Police   5  
			 Merseyside Police   20  
			 Metropolitan Police Service 2 3 230 8 
			 Norfolk Constabulary   33 2 
			 North Wales Police 1 1 45 2 
			 North Yorkshire Police  1 36  
			 Northamptonshire Police   25 1 
			 Northumbria Police 1 5 308 6 
			 Nottinghamshire Police   23  
			 South Wales Police   32 2 
			 South Yorkshire Police   13  
			 Staffordshire Police   34  
			 Suffolk Constabulary   21 1 
			 Surrey Police   22  
			 Sussex Police   29  
			 Thames Valley Police   13  
			 Warwickshire Police   1 1 
			 West Mercia Constabulary   48  
			 West Midlands Police   9  
			 West Yorkshire Police   152 4 
			 Wiltshire Constabulary   27  
			 Totals 6 13 1,944 39 
			  Note: 'Use' as defined by ACPO: Taser Operational Guidance December 2008 policy section 5.2: The term 'use of the Taser' will include any of the following actions carried out in an operational setting: Drawing of a Taser in circumstances where any person perceives the action as a use of force. Sparking of the Taser commonly known as arcing. Aiming of the Taser or placing the laser sight red dot onto a subject. Firing of a Taser so that the barbs are discharged at a subject. Application and Discharge of a Taser in drive stun mode to a subject.

Travelling People

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what guidance his Department has provided to  (a) police forces and  (b) police authorities on employment targets in respect of (i) Travellers and (ii) under-represented groups.

David Hanson: As set out in the Policing Green Paper: Cm 7448 From the Neighbourhood to National: Policing Our Communities Together, police authorities are now responsible for setting ambitious local employment targets in agreement with forces and in consultation with communities, police officers and staff. This local approach provides more local ownership of targets and will help to reflect the needs of local communities.
	Guidance published by the Home Office in 2004, The Breaking Through Action Plan - Promoting Minority Ethnic Employment in the Police Service, remains relevant as guidance to police authorities and forces on improving minority ethnic representation in the police service, and also illustrates approaches which are relevant for other under-represented groups. More recently, the position on Minority Ethnic Recruitment, Retention and Progression in the Police Service was the subject of an Assessment by the former Policing Minister, published on 20 November 2008.
	Following the Policing Green Paper, the Association of Police Authorities has published a guidance document for its members - Local employment targets for under-represented groups - Setting employment targets in local policing plans. The guidance provides advice on setting appropriate targets on race and gender representation, and on consideration of targets relating to wider local diverse communities such as the Gypsy and Traveller community.

UK Border Agency

Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Perth and North Perthshire of 29 June 2009,  Official Report, column 71W, on immigration controls, how many UK Border Agency call centres are in operation in each location.

Phil Woolas: holding answer 9 September 2009
	UKBA operates 41 call centres, located in 39 countries. Some call centres service more than one country. Countries which are not covered by these call centres but which have a visa application centre based at the embassy or high commission operate an in-house telephone service.
	With the exception of the UK (which has call centres in Liverpool, Sheffield and Croydon), the operation of all other call centres is outsourced as follows:
	CSC Worldbridge operates three call centres, located in Brazil (servicing the Americas), Algeria (servicing North Africa and the Middle East) and Hungary (servicing Europe).
	VFS Global operates 34 call centres in the following countries:
	Bahrain
	Oman
	Bangladesh
	Pakistan
	China
	Philippines
	Ethiopia
	Qatar
	Ghana
	Russia
	India
	Saudi Arabia
	Indonesia
	Singapore
	Japan
	South Africa
	Kazakhstan
	South Korea
	Kenya
	Sri Lanka
	Kuwait
	Syria
	Malawi
	Taiwan
	Malaysia
	Thailand
	Mozambique
	UAE
	Namibia
	Uganda
	Nepal
	Ukraine
	Nigeria
	Zimbabwe
	Call Centre Services Pty Ltd operates one call centre in Australia for callers from Australia / New Zealand.

UK Border Agency: Return and Reintegration Programme

Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what proportion of the budget of the UK Border Agency for 2009-10 has been allocated to the Return and Reintegration programme.

Phil Woolas: holding answer 9 September 2009
	0.93per cent. of the 2009-10 full year gross budget of 2,146.1 million has been allocated by the UK Border Agency to the Returns and Reintegration Fund. This is a cross-government fund and is also supported by FCO, DFID and the Ministry of Justice.

Young Offenders

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what proportion of incidents of  (a) wounding,  (b) assault without injury,  (c) assault with minor injury and  (d) robbery recorded in the British Crime survey were identified by the victim as being carried out by offenders of school age and under, in each of the last 10 years.

Alan Johnson: The following table shows the percentage of offenders who were perceived to be of school age and under by victims of violent incidents from the British Crime survey (BCS) for surveys between 1999 and 2008-09.
	
		
			  Offender characteristics in BCS violent incidents in England and WalesBritish Crime Survey 
			  Percentage 
			   Violent offences 
			  Age of offender(s)( 1,2)  All violence( 3)  Wounding  Assault with minor iniury( 4)  Assault with no iniury( 4)  Common assault( 4)  Robbery 
			  2008-09   
			 School age and under(5) 8 3 7 10  10 
			 Unweighted base(6) 1,454 343 358 560  193 
			  2007/08   
			 School age and under 13 7 8 18  15 
			 Unweighted base(6) 1,468 357 343 579  189 
			  2006-07   
			 School age and under 12 9 12 15  6 
			 Unweighted base(6) 1,656 413 393 639  211 
			  2005 - 06   
			 School age and under 14 13   15 12 
			 Unweighted base(6) 1,548 376   914 208 
			  2004-05   
			 School age and under 12 9   14 8 
			 Unweighted base(6) 1,521 394   877 176 
			  2003-04   
			 Child of school age 12 12   12 7 
			 Unweighted base(6) 1,448 355   877 151 
			  2002-03   
			 Child of school age 10 4   12 12 
			 Unweighted base(6) 1,447 351   853 185 
			  2001-02   
			 Child of school age 10 2   12 12 
			 Unweighted base(6) 1,325 306   805 163 
			  1999   
			 Child of school age 8 12   7 8 
			 Unweighted base(6) 1,053 226   701 104 
			 (1 )Detailed questions about offender(s) are only asked of victims who experienced three or less offences in the last year to minimise respondent burden. Figures here are based on incidents in which the victim could say something about the offender(s). (2) More than one offender could be involved. (3) 'All violence' includes wounding, robbery, assault with minor injury and assault with no injury. (4) Prior to 2005-06 assault with minor injury and assault with no injury were included within the broader category of common assault. (5) Separate estimates for children below school age are not available prior to 2004-05 BCS. (6) Unweighted base is the number of victims who were able to say something about offender.

Apprentices

John Hayes: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how many apprenticeships have been undertaken by  (a) men and  (b) women in each (i) region and (ii) industrial sector; and how many were completed in each case.

Kevin Brennan: Table 1 shows the number of apprenticeship starts by Government Office Region and Gender in 2007-08, the latest year for which full-year figures are available. Table 2 shows the number of apprenticeship achievements by Government Office Region and Gender in 2007-08. This gives the total number of achievements in 2007-08, regardless of the academic year the apprenticeship started.
	Tables 3 and 4 show the number of apprenticeship starts and achievements by Government Office Region and Sector Subject Area in 2007-08. Information is not available by 'industrial sector'.
	
		
			  Table 1: Number of apprenticeship starts by Government Office region and gender, 2007-08 
			  Region  Male  Female  Total 
			 North East 8,600 8,000 16,700 
			 North West 18,200 17,200 35,500 
			 Yorkshire and the Humber 16,200 13,100 29,300 
			 East Midlands 10,800 10,900 21,700 
			 West Midlands 11,600 13,800 25,400 
			 East of England 10,800 10,200 21,000 
			 London 7,200 7,300 14,500 
			 South East 18,400 13,800 32,200 
			 South West 14,600 10,700 25,300 
			 Other 1,800 1,500 3,200 
			 Total 118,200 106,600 224,800 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 2: Number of apprenticeship achievements by Government Office region and gender, 2007-08 
			  Region  Male  Female  Total 
			 North East 4,300 3,300 7,600 
			 North West 9,700 9,300 19,000 
			 Yorkshire and the Humber 9,000 6,300 15,400 
			 East Midlands 5,400 5,300 10,700 
			 West Midlands 6,900 6,700 13,600 
			 East of England 5,400 4,600 10,000 
			 London 3,100 3,100 6,200 
			 South East 9,700 6,600 16,300 
			 South West 7,500 5,000 12,500 
			 Other 700 500 1,300 
			 Total 61,700 50,800 112,600 
			  Notes: 1. Region is based on home postcode of the learner. 2. Where the postcode is outside of England, or not known, learners are shown in the 'Other' category. 3. Figures have been rounded to the nearest hundred and may therefore not sum to the totals.  Source:  Work-based Learning Individualised Learning Record 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 3: Number of apprenticeship starts by sector subject area and gender, 2007-08 
			  Sector Subject Area  Male  Female  Total 
			 Agriculture, Horticulture and Animal Care 2,200 2,300 4,500 
			 Arts, Media and Publishing 100 (1) 100 
			 Business, Administration and Law 14,700 36,100 50,700 
			 Construction, Planning and the Built Environment 27,300 500 27,800 
			 Education and Training (1) 300 300 
			 Engineering and Manufacturing Technologies 41,800 1,300 43,100 
			 Health, Public Services and Care 3,900 27,200 31,100 
			 Information and Communication Technology 5,900 2,100 8,000 
			 Languages, Literature and Culture (1) (1) (1) 
			 Leisure, Travel and Tourism 3,400 2,800 6,300 
			 Preparation for Life and Work (1) (1) (1) 
			 Retail and Commercial Enterprise 16,700 32,600 49,300 
			 Science and Mathematics (1) (1) (1) 
			 Unknown 2,200 1,300 3,500 
			 Total 118,200 106,600 224,800 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 4: Number of apprenticeship achievements by sector subject area and gender, 2007-08 
			  Sector Subject Area  Male  Female  Total 
			 Agriculture, Horticulture and Animal Care 1,200 1,300 2,500 
			 Arts, Media and Publishing 100 (1) 200 
			 Business, Administration and Law 6,300 17,200 23,600 
			 Construction, Planning and the Built Environment 17,600 200 17,800 
			 Education and Training (1) (1) (1) 
			 Engineering and Manufacturing Technologies 20,200 500 20,800 
			 Health, Public Services and Care 1,800 12,000 13,800 
			 Information and Communication Technology 4,400 1,200 5,500 
			 Languages, Literature and Culture (1) (1) (1) 
			 Leisure, Travel and Tourism 2,100 1,500 3,600 
			 Preparation for Life and Work (1) (1) (1) 
			 Retail and Commercial Enterprise 7,800 16,700 24,400 
			 Science and Mathematics (1) (1) (1) 
			 Unknown 200 200 400 
			 Total 61,700 50,800 112,600 
			 (1) Indicates a value of less than 50.  Note: 1. Figures have been rounded to the nearest hundred and may therefore not sum to the totals.  Source:  Work-based Learning Individualised Learning Record

Apprentices

Malcolm Moss: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how many Government-funded apprenticeship places were available to young people in  (a) England and  (b) North East Cambridgeshire in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement.

Kevin Brennan: holding answer 16 September 2009
	Table 1 shows the number of Learning and Skills Council funded apprenticeship starts by learners aged under 19 in North East Cambridgeshire parliamentary constituency and England from 2003-04 to 2007-08, the latest year for which full-year figures are available.
	
		
			  Table 1: Number of apprenticeship starts for learners aged under 19, 2003-04 to 2007-08 
			  Area  2003-04  2004-05  2005-06  2006-07  2007-08 
			 North East Cambridgeshire parliamentary constituency 230 210 180 230 240 
			 England 108,300 113,500 99,500 105,600 107,600 
			  Notes: 1. Parliamentary constituency is based on home postcode of the learner. 2. The figures provided for England includes learners undertaking apprenticeships in England. It includes those resident in England, a small number of learners which are resident outside of England e.g. in Scotland or Wales, and those where their postcode is not known. 3. Figures for parliamentary constituency have been rounded to the nearest ten and figures for England have been rounded to the nearest hundred. 4. Age Source: Work-based Learning Individualised Learner Record (WBL ILR) is calculated based on age at start of programme. 
		
	
	The Government are committed to rebuilding apprenticeships. Since 1997 we have witnessed a renaissance in apprenticeships from a low point of 65,000 to a record 225,000 apprenticeship starts in 2007-08, of which 107,600 were by young people (aged under 19). Completion rates are also at a record high with 64 per cent. successfully completing an apprenticeshipup from 37 per cent. in 2004-05. The Apprenticeships, Skills, Children and Learning Bill now before Parliament will ensure that an apprenticeship place is available for all suitably qualified young people by 2013.

Bankruptcy

Phil Willis: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how many individuals with debts of less than 15,000 filed for bankruptcy in each of the 12 months from April 2008.

Ian Lucas: The number of individuals with debts of less than 15,000 who filed for bankruptcy in each of the 12 months from April 2008 are as follows:
	
		
			   Number 
			 April 2008 902 
			 May 2008 768 
			 June 2008 873 
			 July 2008 1,033 
			 August 2008 737 
			 September 2008 867 
			 October 2008 944 
			 November 2008 888 
			 December 20087 41 
			 January 2009 845 
			 February 2009 903 
			 March 2009 977 
			 Total 10,478

Banks: Loans

Jonathan Djanogly: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how many banks  (a) received information on and  (b) are operating the Working Capital Guarantee Scheme; how much capital has been loaned to businesses under the scheme to date; and how many businesses have received financial assistance under the scheme.

Rosie Winterton: holding answer 15 May 2009
	 The Department sent a mini prospectus to the British Banking Association who circulated it to its members. The Working Capital Scheme is not directly available to businesses; however, 2 billion of guarantees have been provided to banks under the scheme to free up regulatory capital for new lending to UK companies. As a result of action by the Government and the regulatory authorities leading to improvements in the capital position of the UK banking system since the introduction of the WCS, the Government have been able to allocate resource provision for the WCS to other measures to support businesses, including as announced at the Budget 2009 a trade credit insurance 'top-up' scheme and a possible new letters of credit scheme in the Export Credit Guarantee Department.

Banks: Meetings

Graham Brady: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills for what reasons no minutes were taken of the meetings between his Department's officials and Ministers which took place on 13, 16, 20 and 31 October and 11 December 2008 at which the proposed merger between Lloyds TSB and HSBOS was discussed; and what his Department's policy is on the minuting of meetings between  (a) his Department's officials and Ministers and  (b) his Department's Ministers or officials and private or public companies.

Kevin Brennan: holding answer 16 September 2009
	The purpose of these meetings was to enable the relevant Ministers and officials to consider the substantive issues raised by this case and to ensure the Secretary of State was in a position to take properly informed final decisions in accordance with his statutory duties under the Enterprise Act 2002. No summary of outcomes from the meetings was required to ensure action was taken forward. Ministers had the appropriate material and relevant officials at the meetings. The conclusions reached are reflected either in the subsequent actions taken, advice to Ministers about the next steps, or are otherwise set out in public statements such as the final decision document which seeks to provide a clear summary of the reasons behind the decision. The Department does not have a specific policy on taking minutes of meetings though there is a general requirement to keep an appropriate record of all departmental business.

Business Links: Finance

Mark Harper: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what the budget for Business Links is for  (a) 2009-10,  (b) 2010-11 and  (c) 2011-12.

Patrick McFadden: For the period 2007-08, an estimate of the budget for Business Link allocated by the regional development agencies was 190 million. No forward budget is agreed with the RDAs for this activity. Business Link services are funded from the Government's single-pot to the regional development agencies to deliver agreed core services to businesses in each region. The exact budget for those contracted services is left for each RDA to determine based on what is appropriate for its region.

Business Links: Finance

Mark Prisk: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how much  (a) each regional development agency and  (b) his Department allocated to Business Link in each of the last five years.

Rosie Winterton: In 2005, responsibility for managing Business Link face-to-face services was transferred to the RDAs. The previous budget used to deliver Business Link services was added to the Department's contribution towards the RDA Single-Pot. This allows the regions to draw down as much or as little funding as they see fit to deliver the service in their areas.
	Over the last five years, the RDAs have allocated the following budgets to their Business Link providers:
	
		
			  BL funding over period 2005-10 
			   million 
			   2005-06  2006-07  2007-08  2008-09  2009-10 
			 NWRDA 17.8 17.8 14.1 16.5 22.1 
			 ONENE 14.1 14.1 12.9 12.9 15.8 
			 AWM 27.2 24.8 22.8 35.2 34.2 
			 EMDA 20.3 14.4 13.0 13.7 18.6 
			 EEDA 15.7 15.5 15.8 16.0 16.2 
			 YH 13.0 13.0 13.0 13.0 17.8 
			 LDA 23.7 23.8 19.4 26.7 26.6 
			 SWRDA 24.6 24.6 19.6 19.9 25.8 
			 SEEDA 24.0 24.0 24.0 24.0 30.1

Business Links: Manpower

Mark Prisk: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how many business advisers have been employed by Business Link in each of the last 36 months.

Rosie Winterton: In the context of the question posed, 'business advisers' have been defined as including face-to-face business (link) advisers delivering services under the Business Link brand; that may include functional/sector specialists but not those operating under other service brands e.g. MAS. Internal/telephone based support or partnership staff have not been included.
	From 1 April, skills brokerage for Train to Gain was integrated with the Business Link service, accounting for the significant increase in Business Link adviser numbers this year.
	Comprehensive national data can only be provided from April 2008 by which time all RDAs had re-contracted to the current network of Business Link providers. Some of the regional data for prior months was held by former Business Link providers and it would be disproportionate cost to collect this information.
	
		
			  Month  Number of Business Link advisers 
			 April 2008 747 
			 May 2008 748 
			 June 2008 744 
			 July 2008 776 
			 August 2008 804 
			 September 2008 829 
			 October 2008 830 
			 November 2008 835 
			 December 2008 841 
			 January 2009 854 
			 February 2009 855 
			 March 2009 854 
			 April 2009 1021 
			 May 2009 1030 
			 June 2009 1038 
			 July 2009 1051 
			 August 2009 1160 
			 September 2009 1166

Business: Government Assistance

Anne Main: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how much lending has been guaranteed under the Working Capital Scheme.

Rosie Winterton: 2 billion of guarantees have been provided to banks under the Working Capital Scheme to free up regulatory capital for new lending to UK companies. As a result of action by the Government and the regulatory authorities, leading to improvements in the capital position of the UK banking system since the introduction of the WCS, the Government have been able to allocate resource provision for the WCS to other measures to support businesses, including as announced at the Budget 2009 a trade credit insurance top up scheme and a possible new letters of credit scheme in the Export Credit Guarantee Department.

Business: Government Assistance

Michael Ancram: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how many small businesses in England have received assistance from his Department in the last 12 months.

Rosie Winterton: Business Link is the Department's main channel of support businesses of all sizes. In the 12 months to end June 2009, advisers helped over 930,800 businesses, with over 76,000 receiving intensive one-to-one support. The businesslink.gov.uk website attracted around 11.2 million visitors in the same period.
	Examples of other specific assistance received by small and medium sized enterprises from BIS and its predecessors include:
	In 2008/09, UK Trade and Investment activities assisted 20,700 individual companies to exploit opportunities in overseas markets.
	The Enterprise Finance Guarantee, which up to 21 August 2009 has offered loans totalling over 470 million to over 4,600 businesses.
	The Technology Strategy Board has supported various collaborative RD projects and knowledge transfer activities:
	Nearly 1,000 SMEs have received grants for collaborative RD projects worth over 25 million in the 12 month to June 2009.
	Over 760 SMEs have received support for Knowledge Transfer Partnerships totalling over 18 million in the 12 months to July 2009.
	In addition 57,000 are members of our Knowledge Transfer Networks of which a proportion are SMEs.
	Skill support to SMEs through Train to Gain. Provisional information for 2008/09 shows that within the academic year 100,000 SMEs have had an employee start a Train to Gain course.
	The annual reports for BERR and DIUS describe the other forms of business support provided more fully in 2008/09.
	Business Link is the Department's main channel of support businesses of all sizes. In the 12 months to end June 2009, advisers helped over 930,800 businesses, with over 76,000 receiving intensive one-to-one support. The businesslink.gov.uk website attracted around 11.2 million visitors in the same period.
	Examples of other specific assistance received by small and medium sized enterprises from BIS and its predecessors include:
	In 2008/09, UK Trade and Investment activities assisted 20,700 individual companies to exploit opportunities in overseas markets.
	The Enterprise Finance Guarantee, which up to 21 August 2009 has offered loans totalling over 470 million to over 4,600 businesses.
	The Technology Strategy Board has supported various collaborative RD projects.

Business: Government Assistance

Nadine Dorries: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how much funding his Department and its predecessors allocated for the development of small businesses in  (a) Mid Bedfordshire constituency and  (b) the East of England in each year since 1997; and if he will make a statement.

Ian Lucas: East of England Development Agency (EEDA) funds a range of services to support businesses in the East of England.
	Since 2007 EEDA has invested over 30 million annually on a range of services to support businesses from all sectors across the region. This includes the regional Business Link service, specific business support schemes and business finance grants for eligible businesses.
	The following information identifies funding for these services.
	 Note:
	Not all of these schemes were in place 10 years ago, therefore funding will be provided as far back as possible. EEDA was not created until 1999; and has only been operating significant business support schemes since 2007.
	 Business Support Programmes
	From 1 April 2007 EEDA has provided 32 million of funding to Business Link East to deliver the service across the region. From 2008/09 Business Link has interacted with 108,391 businesses in the East of England of which 1,416 have been in mid Bedfordshire. Since October 2008 around 8,000 free 'health checks' have been delivered in the region.
	For the period of 2005-08 EEDA has funded the Manufacturing Advisory Service (MAS) East to the value of 3.4 million and has awarded a further 3.3 million between 2008-11. Bedfordshire businesses, during the period November 2005-October 2008, received 163,680 worth of business support. 104 companies received a basic one-day review through the MAS-east programme. Of these, nineteen companies also received a full implementation programme resulting in 32 projects which generated gross value added of 613,852.00.
	EEDA's Take ITon campaign assists businesses to improve use of IT, focused on helping SMEs save cost through IT. Since December 2007 the regional programme has totalled 347 grants, investing 1,105,508.01 to leverage a total of 3,227,784.06. Mid Bedfordshire Take ITon has funded a total of 11 grants, investing 32,440 and leveraging in a total of 99,166.50.
	2.2 million has funded a regional response to redundancy programme which has supported companies across the region and in Mid Bedfordshire.
	 Business Finance Schemes:
	EEDA has operated a number of business finance schemes since 2003 such as Grant for Research and Development, Proof of Concept funds, Grants for Business Investment. The amounts funded to date for the former county of Bedfordshire are:
	
		
			
			 Grant for Research and Development 18,177,981 
			 Proof of Concept funds 346,217 
		
	
	For the former county of Bedfordshire funding totalled 20,845,345 which has been matched against further investment of 134,067,981.
	In May 2009 EEDA launched an Understanding Finance for Business Programme which provides coaching and mentoring to SMEs.
	EEDA launched a 5 million Regional Loan Fund in May 2009, aimed at supporting innovative SMEs in early growth prior to attracting venture capital funding.
	EEDA is also promoting Olympic opportunities to businesses through CompeteFor, a web based portal. So far 9612 businesses have registered in the region of those 573 are in Bedfordshire.

Business: Government Assistance

Nadine Dorries: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how much funding his Department and its predecessors allocated to the development of information technology businesses in  (a) Mid Bedfordshire constituency and  (b) the East of England in each year since 1997; and if he will make a statement.

Ian Lucas: East of England Development Agency funds a range of services to support businesses from all sectors across the region. This includes the regional Business Link service, specific business support schemes and business finance grants for eligible businesses.
	Key examples of funding and support to IT businesses in the region, where possible, broken down by IT sector and location include:
	Since December 2007 76,561 has been provided through the Take1Ton campaign for businesses to receive support for enhanced ICT. Of this, 9,980 in Bedfordshire and 1,980 in mid-Beds.
	Since January 2001 EEDA has provided 4,305,127 in Business finance grants in the East of England and of this, 508,050 in Bedfordshire.(1)
	(1) Some of the above are grants to businesses under either the Grants for Business Investment (GBI) or Grant for Research and Development (GRaD) programmes. GBI, previously known as Selective Finance for Investment in England (SFIE), transferred to EEDA from the Small Business Service (SBS) in April 2002. GRaD transferred to EEDA from SBS in April 2005.

Business: Government Assistance

Greg Clark: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what support his Department is providing to UK companies which are developing low-carbon goods and services.

Patrick McFadden: In July the Government published the Low Carbon Industrial Strategy which outlined the first investments from the 405 million for low carbon industries and advanced green manufacturing announced at Budget 2009. The strategy announced up to 60 million to capitalise on Britain's wave and tidal sector strengths, up to 15 million capital investment in order to establish a Nuclear Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre, up to 10 million for the accelerated deployment of electric vehicle charging infrastructure, a 4 million expansion of the Manufacturing Advisory Service, up to 6 million to construct low carbon affordable homes and up to 120 million to support the development of a British based offshore wind industry. Copies of the strategy are available in the Libraries of the House.

Business: Government Assistance

George Osborne: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how many businesses have received money from the Capital for Enterprise Scheme; and how much money has been provided in total under the scheme to date.

Rosie Winterton: holding answer 16 September 2009
	The Capital for Enterprise Fund (CFEF) provides a total commitment of 75 million, made up of 50 million in public funds and agreement in principle to an additional 25 million from the main banks (Lloyds, Barclays, HSBC and RBS).
	As from 10 September 2009, CFEF has made 26 offers totalling almost 40 million to 26 businesses. Two of these deals have completed so far with a total value of 3 million.

Business: Government Assistance

Adam Afriyie: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what the criteria are for small and medium-sized enterprises to receive funding from the Capital for Enterprise Fund (CEF); when businesses were first able to apply for funding from the CEF; when the CEF made its first payment; what the  (a) total and  (b) average monetary value of payments from the CEF has been to date; how many businesses have received funding from the CEF; what steps his Department has taken to promote the CEF to small and medium-sized businesses; and what target time has been established for the CEF to determine applications.

Rosie Winterton: The Capital for Enterprise Fund (CfEF) makes investments of between 200,000 and 2 million of equity and mezzanine finance. The investment is aimed at releasing and sustaining the growth potential of businesses that are over-geared, under-capitalised or both. To apply, all applicants must have their principal place of business within the UK or be able to demonstrate why an investment will be of tangible benefit to the UK. Additionally, all applications must meet the EU definition of an SME.
	CfEF was announced as part of the Real Help Now programme on 14 January and businesses were able to register their applications for the fund immediately through a dedicated registration service. Following an appointment process the contracted Fund Managers were able to start processing these in March.
	As at 22 September five businesses had received investment from the CfEF totalling 6.15 million at an average of  1.23 million per deal. The first investment was completed on 31 July.
	The Department has marketed the CfEF to businesses as part of the wider programme of support through Real Help, in particular through Business Link and using national and regional promotional activity which includes sources of communications used by the main business representative bodies to their members. The CfEF Fund Managers have also produced a promotional flyer which is distributed to businesses through their network of professional bodies.
	As a commercial fund the investment process for CfEF involves a period of due diligence and negotiation, which involves the fund manager and potential investee company and often existing investors and lenders to the business. The length of time required to complete this can vary significantly in each case and there is no formal target time between an application and investment, although the managers are working to progress investments as quickly as possible.

Business: Regulation

John Hayes: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what recent estimate his Department has made of the cost to UK businesses of the administrative burden of regulation.

Ian Lucas: In May 2005, the administrative cost of regulations was measured using the internationally recognised Standard Cost Model. The measurement exercise included 19 Government Departments, regulators and agencies. The burden was estimated at 13.2 billion annually. The Government have committed to reduce administrative burdens associated with complying with regulations by 25 per cent. net by May 2010. As at December 2008, an estimated 1.9 billion net annual savings had been delivered.

Construction Clearing House: Apprentices

Lorely Burt: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills 
	(1)  pursuant to the answer of 13 July 2009, Official Report, column 191W, on the Construction Clearing House, what steps the Construction Clearing House has taken to ensure that construction apprenticeship places which are at risk of redundancy are not lost; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  how many times the Construction Clearing House Committee has met since its establishment; and who the members are of that committee.

Kevin Brennan: The service operated by Construction Skills provides a helpline offering advice and support for employers, apprentices and parents to help redundant apprentices find alternative employment and help support those whose job is at risk. Construction Skills also actively seek new employers for displaced apprentices to complete their Apprenticeship framework. This service is now available to all training providers delivering Apprenticeships in construction. Additional funding has recently been made available to Construction Skills to provide employers with a 1,000 grant to help with the costs of employing a displaced apprentice. These arrangements are in addition to the contractual requirement on all training providers to help apprentices find alternative employment if they lose their job. The National Apprenticeships Service (NAS) introduced new flexibilities earlier in the year to help ensure apprentices can continue in training to complete their Apprenticeship.
	The clearing house arrangements are not directly overseen by a committee; they are managed as part of the operational responsibilities of Construction Skills and NAS.

Construction Task Force

Lorely Burt: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills pursuant to the answer of 13 July 2009,  Official Report, column 191W, on Construction Task Force, 
	(1)  if he will list the membership of the Construction Task Force, and on how many occasions the Construction Task Force has met since its inception;
	(2)  what recent steps the Construction Task Force has taken to ensure the security of apprenticeship places in the construction industry; and if he will make a statement.

Kevin Brennan: The Construction Apprenticeships Task Force membership comprised:
	
		
			  Construction apprenticeships task force 
			  Member  
			 Simon Waugh National Apprenticeship Service 
			 James Wates Wates Group 
			 Alan Ritchie Union of Construction, Allied Trades and Technicians 
			 John Thompson Union of Construction, Allied Trades and Technicians 
			 Tom Wilson Trade Union Congress 
			 Bob Blackman Unite 
			 Tom Kelly GMB Union 
			 Frank Horan College of North West London 
			 Ian Billyard Leeds College of Building 
			 Susan Forsyth Chichester College 
			 Keith Donnelly Carillion Plc 
			 Geoff Green Greenwood services 
			 George Fraser ROK Group 
			 Nicholas Fowler Denne Construction 
			 Geoff Lister Federation of Master Builders 
			 Mark Farrar Construction Skills, Sector Skills Council 
		
	
	Representatives from the Department, the Department for Communities and Local Government and the Homes and Communities Agency also attended by invitation. The Task Force met four times between November 2008 and April 2009. The group considered the impact of the economic downturn and its effect on the Construction labour market and agreed actions on a number of issues affecting Apprenticeships in the industry. Key recommendations were on public sector procurement and support for displaced construction apprentices. On procurement we continue to work across Government and in the industry to implement the specific construction commitment set out in the pre-Budget report, 2008 and the task force provided structured input into this process. Progress includes commitments to create new apprenticeship places through the Department of Children's Schools and Families' Building Schools for the Future programme, from the Olympic Delivery Authority on the Olympic Park and Village site, and through the Homes and Communities Agency's 5 billion annual investment budget. For displaced apprentices the Construction Matching Service has sought new jobs for apprentices, and offered advice and support for employers, apprentices and parents through a national helpline. The Task Force also looked at the role of trade unions and medium-to-long term strategies for expanding apprenticeships in the sector, these wider issues will be taken forward through the Cross-Industry Construction Apprenticeship Task Force which advises Government on Apprenticeship issues affecting the sector.

Construction: Apprentices

Stephen Crabb: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what recent discussions he has had with  (a) the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families and  (b) representatives of the engineering construction industry on increasing the number of young people pursuing careers in that sector.

Ian Lucas: Like other engineering-related sectors, the engineering construction industry offers attractive career opportunities, but shares challenges in attracting employees for the future. In this regard, there are ongoing discussions at ministerial, and official levels on issues that directly impact on engineering construction. A programme of actions is being taken forward by Government, in conjunction with the sector skills councils and the Engineering Construction Industry Training Board, to address these matters. The Diploma in Construction and the Built Environment, and the Diploma in Engineering, were launched in September 2008, with the aim of introducing young people to the world of working in these industries. This Government are also committed to a significant growth in apprenticeships. That is why funding for apprentices has been increased by almost a quarter since 2007/08 to over 1 billion in 2009/10.

Construction: Reviews

Stephen Crabb: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what timetable he has set for completion of his Department's review of productivity and skills in the engineering construction sector.

Ian Lucas: The review is expected to be completed around autumn this year.

Corus: Loans

Mark Prisk: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills whether the 5 million loan to Corus announced on 25 June 2009 has been  (a) partially or  (b) fully drawn down by Corus; and whether any assurances relating to jobs in the UK have been received in return.

Patrick McFadden: On 25 June, my noble Friend the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills offered a 5 million training package to Corus. The offer was also discussed when the Prime Minister met with Kirby Adams, Chief Executive Officer of Corus on 16 July.
	At present officials in BIS and the Regional Development Agencies (RDAs) are working with Corus to take forward the offer of assistance which will contribute to training the workforce, retain capacity in the UK and help the company through the downturn and to recover more strongly as economic conditions improve.
	The training package will benefit Corus operations in the regions covered by Yorkshire Forward and ONE North East RDAs and will support apprenticeship and graduate training programmes and a range of training packages focussed on Corus' shop floor workers.
	Corus have provided assurances relating to the future of 3,000 employees and 1,000 contractors in the Yorkshire and Humber region and in excess of 1,200 employees and 500 contractors within the Tees Valley up to the end of 2010. It is planned that a significant proportion of the training support funding will be drawn down before the end of December 2009.

Departmental Advertising

Pete Wishart: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how much his Department spent on newspaper advertising carried in each newspaper in the most recent year for which figures are available.

Patrick McFadden: The former Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (BERR) spent 417,906 on press advertising via the Central Office of Information in 2008-09 as follows:
	
		
			   
			 Agency Workers Campaign 2008-09 341,212 
			 Employing People 2008-09 37,140 
			 National Minimum Wage 2008-09 30,260 
			 Dispute Resolution 2008-09 5,977 
			 Trawlermen Compensation Scheme 2008-09 3,317 
			 Total 417,906 
		
	
	In addition central financial records indicate that BERR spent 90,235 in 2008-09 through an advertising agency on advertising for external recruitment.
	The former Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills (DIUS) spent 208,137 on press advertising via the Central Office of Information in 2008-09 as below:
	
		
			   
			 Higher Education Student Finance campaign 2008-09 58,560 
			 Science Innovation Press Campaign 2008-09 149,577 
			 Total 208,137 
		
	
	A breakdown of expenditure on newspaper advertising by title could be supplied only at disproportionate cost.

Departmental Buildings

John Hayes: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills in which buildings in central London each of his Department's units is located.

Ian Lucas: This Department has directorates based in the following buildings in central London:
	1 Victoria Street, London SW1H OET
	Kingsgate House, 66-74 Victoria Street, London SW1E 6SW

Departmental ICT

Justine Greening: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what IT systems have been in development for use within his Department in the last five years; what the reason for the development of each system was; how much has been spent on the development of each system; and which systems have been subsequently (i) implemented, (ii) terminated prior to implementation and (iii) terminated following implementation.

Patrick McFadden: The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills IT infrastructure systems are provided via long standing agreements with Fujitsu Services and cover desktop services, web infrastructure services and in some cases other business applications, which are charged for as part of the overall, bundled, service charge.
	In the last five years the following systems have, however, been developed from scratch and the details requested are provided:
	 Flexible Computing
	Reason for development: Provision of secure remote access services via Blackberries and mobile laptops
	Development costs: 4.9 million
	 Lynx
	Reason for development: Provision of a correspondence handling system
	Development cost: 1.9 million
	 MATRIX 2
	Reason for development: Upgrade to the Department's existing electronic document management system, (itself over five years old)
	Development cost: 104,000
	 SPIRE
	Reason for development: Provision of a range of electronic export control services
	Development cost: 2.6 million
	In all cases all systems were fully implemented and remain fully operational.

Departmental Marketing

Philip Hammond: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills with reference to the answer of 26 November 2008,  Official Report, column 1935W, on departmental marketing, how many staff in his Department have responsibility for branding activity; and what the cost of employing such staff was in 2008-09.

Patrick McFadden: The Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (BERR) had one member of staff responsible for managing the Department's brand. This included the publication and dissemination of the brand guidelines and advising on their application. It is estimated that 25 per cent. of this person's time was spent on branding-related activities. Based on the average pay costs for a member of staff at this grade, this represents a staff cost of approximately 11,653 in 2008/09.
	The Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills (DIUS) had one member of staff responsible for managing the Department's brand. It is estimated that 25 per cent. of this person's time was spent on branding-related activities. The total staff cost on branding was approximately 6,300 in 2008/09.

Departmental Meetings

Greg Clark: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what stocktake meetings his Department has had with the Prime Minister's Delivery Unit in the last 12 months.

Patrick McFadden: The Prime Minister's delivery unit is in constant contact with Departments as part of its process of taking stock of delivery. It reports regularly to the PM, the Treasury and the Departments concerned.

Departmental Motor Vehicles

Andrew Stunell: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how much his Department spent on hire vehicles in each of the last five financial years.

Patrick McFadden: The Department spent the following on hire vehicles (including leasing) in the last five financial years:
	
		
			
			 2004-05 709,714 
			 2005-06 662,084 
			 2006-07 574,068 
			 2007-08 628,126 
			 2008-09 673,781

Departmental Official Hospitality

Theresa Villiers: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills with reference to the answer of 15 September 2008,  Official Report, column 2111W, on departmental official hospitality, how much his Department spent on hospitality and entertainment in 2008-09.

Patrick McFadden: The Department spent 154,444 on hospitality and 1,078,530 on entertainment in 2008-09.

Departmental Pay

Justine Greening: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what employee reward schemes are offered to staff of his Department and its predecessors; what the purpose of each scheme is; how many staff participate in each scheme; and what the cost of operating each scheme was in each of the last five years.

Patrick McFadden: You will be aware that the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) has only recently been created (6 June 2009) by merging the former Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (BERR) with the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills (DIUS). BIS is still in the early stages of setting up its own systems and policies so I have provided you with the information you have requested based on the rewards paid by the former BERR and DIUS.
	Ex-BERR and ex-DIUS has two common bonuses, while ex-BERR has three. Both Departments awards:
	1. Non-consolidated performance pay and non-pay reward to recognise performance in particularly demanding tasks or situations. Staff in receipt of a special bonus may also receive an annual performance award. This award is open to all staff.
	2. Annual Performance Awards paid to Highly Successful performance as part of the annual pay award.
	3. In addition, BERR also awards Team TriumphsTeam Triumphs is an awards ceremony designed to recognise the achievements of teams in the Department. Any team can be nominated providing it has at least two members. Cost of this scheme comes out of non-consolidated performance pay and non-pay rewards pot.
	The following tables show the number of staff receiving the awards, and the cost of the scheme.
	
		
			  Financial year( 1)  Non-consolidated performance pay( 2)  (includes non-pay reward and Team Triumph)  Performance awards 
			   Number of staff receiving  Total value ()  Number of staff receiving  Total value( 3)  () 
			 2008-09 1,218 586,631 2,930 2,240,592 
			 2007-08 1,238 693,386 3,86 (4)2,265,502 
			 2006-07 919 491,669 1,286 2,532,180 
			 2005-06 1,237 521,902 1,257 1,808,630 
			 2004-05 1,261 498,592 1,274 1,563,180 
			 (1 )Financial year running from 1 April to 31 March. (2) The non-consolidated performance pay and performance awards for non-SCS staff are paid on a non-consolidated, non-pensionable basis and do not increase the Department's paybill costs each year. For the SCS the Senior Salaries Review Body determines the level of expenditure to cover bonuses. (3) The total figure includes SCS staffs.  (4) Includes staff who were transferred from DTI to DIUS as part of the June 2007 machinery of government changes as these staff received a DTI/BERR pay award in 2007. Does not include those staff transferred into BERR from Cabinet Office and the Department for Communities and Local Government as part of the June 2007 machinery of government changes as these staff received Cabinet Office and DCLG pay awards respectively in 2007.  Note: In 2007-08 the total value of bonuses paid was approximately 1.5 per cent. of the total Department's paybill. 
		
	
	
		
			  Table for DIUS 
			  Financial year  Non-consolidated performance pay  Performance awards 
			   Number of staff receiving  Total value ()  Number of staff receiving  Total value () 
			 2007-08 273 21,125 (1)0 (1)0 
			 2008-09 201 13,855 216 459,615 
			 (1) The performance awards for 2007-08 was paid by both former Departments.

Departmental Recycling

Stewart Hosie: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what proportion of his Department's waste was recycled in the latest period for which figures are available.

Patrick McFadden: Since the inception of BIS on 8 June, the following amounts of waste have been recycled by this Department:
	June40,700 Kg (63.9 per cent. of total)
	July42,342 Kg (62.1 per cent. of total)
	August33,929 Kg (64.3 per cent. of total)
	I would also refer the hon. Member to the previously published Sustainable Development in Government (SDiG) reports in which central Government Departments publicly reported on the data requested. The most recent report can be found at:
	http://www.sd-commission.org.uk/sdiu2008/

Departmental Travel

Grant Shapps: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how much his Department and its predecessors spent on tickets for  (a) air and  (b) rail travel for (i) Ministers, (ii) special advisers and (iii) civil servants in his Department which were not used in each of the last three years.

Patrick McFadden: In BIS the criteria for booking travel should be value for money, staff travelling on official business must take advantage of any cheap facilities which maybe available including restricted non refundable tickets wherever practical.
	The Department does not separately record details of unused tickets by Ministers, special advisers and civil servants.
	For the period April 2008 to March 2009 the total amount of tickets booked through our travel booking agents and refunded was:
	
		
			
			 Rail including Eurostar 146,325.71 
			 Air 772,877.29 
		
	
	Details for previous years are not centrally recorded due to the number of Government changes to the Department to provide this information would entail disproportionate cost.
	All expenditure is incurred in accordance with the principles of Managing Public Money and the Treasury handbook on Regularity and Propriety.

Departmental Travel

John Penrose: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how many journeys and at what cost the Secretary of State has made in a ministerial capacity by  (a) airplane,  (b) train,  (c) helicopter and  (d) car since October 2008; what class of travel was used for each airplane and train journey; and on what dates such journeys took place.

Patrick McFadden: The Cabinet Office has published a list of all overseas visits undertaken by Ministers costing 500 or more during the period 1 April 2008 to 31 March 2009. The list provides details of the date, destination and purpose of all such visits and the cost of Ministers' travel and accommodation where appropriate. Copies of the list have been placed in the Libraries of both Houses.
	My right hon. and noble Friend the Secretary of State for Transport has published on 16 July 2009,  Official Report, column 80WS, the number of and cost to Departments of the provision of allocated cars and drivers by the Government Car and Despatch Agency to Ministers during 2008-09.
	All ministerial travel is undertaken in accordance with the Ministerial Code.

Draft Legislative Programme: Finance

Bob Neill: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what discussions he has had with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on whether funding allocated to his Department is to be allocated to the Department for Communities and Local Government to help implement the housing policies announced in the Draft Legislative programme for 2009-10.

Patrick McFadden: My noble Friend the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills discussed the Department's 50 million contribution to the housing policies announced in the Draft Legislative programme with the chief secretary to the Treasury, as part of the process of publishing Building Britain's Future.

East of England Development Agency: Consultants

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills pursuant to the answer of 10 June 2009,  Official Report, column 924W, on the East of England Development Agency: public relations, and with reference to the answer to the hon. Member for Tunbridge Wells of 1 May 2008,  Official Report, columns 574W, on the East of England Development Agency: Fishburn Hedges, for what reason the payments made to Fishburn Hedges are not classified as payments for external advice on public relations.

Rosie Winterton: The previous question asked how much EEDA has spent on 'retaining external advice on public relations'.
	By 'retaining external advice on public relations' EEDA interprets this as where a retainer contract is in place, with a monthly fee paid to an agency for public relations services. EEDA defines 'public relations services' as supporting EEDA's corporate communications. This is a function we manage in-house with a team of professionals. EEDA does not therefore 'retain' any agency to provide 'external advice on public relations'.
	EEDA uses public relations agencies for specific projects where additional capacity is required.
	Fishburn Hedges is a public affairs agency and EEDA uses them on a retainer basis to provide specific public affairs support services. This includes legislative and policy updates, a parliamentary monitoring service, information and briefings, support on political visits and events and support on parliamentary procedures. EEDA does not have sufficient capacity in house to provide all these areas of expertise.

EU Membership

John Hayes: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what recent estimate his Department has made of the annual regulatory cost to the economy arising from UK membership of the EU.

Ian Lucas: It is very difficult to provide precise figures for the annual regulatory cost to the economy arising from UK membership of the European Union.
	The administrative burdens measurement exercise carried out by the Government in 2006 put the proportion of administrative burdens stemming from the EU at approximately one third of the annual total of 13.2 billion.

Exports: Government Assistance

Mark Oaten: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what programmes to support exporters his Department has announced in the last year; and what further options to support exporters his Department is considering.

Ian Lucas: UK Trade and Investment (UKTI) is the Government organisation that helps UK-based companies to succeed in an increasingly global economy and maximise their international success.
	UKTI's trade development services for exporters aim to help develop their international trade potential and provide access to international markets. Further details on these services can be found on UKTI's website at:
	www.uktradeinvest.gov.uk
	Specific examples of the help made available by UKTI in the last 12 months include the 12 March 2009 announcement of the Gateway to Global Growth programme to provide specialist, tailored advice and support for British companies to help them improve and extend their exporting experience, and the 2009 Budget announcement of 10 million of the Strategic Investment Fund being channelled into UKTI, to be spent on events to promote UK sector expertise both in the UK and abroad. The funds are available to help UK businesses better showcase their strengths to overseas customers and markets and form part of the Government's New Industry New Jobs strategy.
	A raft of wider Government assistance for UK business has been made available through BIS in various initiatives over the past year and details can be found at:
	www.businesslink.gov.uk
	My noble Friend the Secretary of State for BIS announced the creation of the Advisory Panel on New Industry, New Jobs, Universities and Skills on 31 July. Looking forward, this panel will help generate ideas across the whole of the Government's New Industry, New Jobs agenda, challenging conventional policy thinking in these areas.

Further Education: Government Assistance

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what recent steps the Government has taken to provide financial assistance to those entering further education.

Kevin Brennan: holding answer 16 September 2009
	There is a range of financial assistance to learners entering further education. Learners on priority provision, as well as those in receipt of income-related benefits, are not required to pay a fee for learning.
	Adult learners (aged 19 plus) can apply for the Adult Learning Grant which pays up to 30 per week to those on low incomes undertaking full-time learning for their first full Level 2 or first full Level 3 qualification. Education maintenance allowance (EMA) of up to 30 per week is available to eligible l6-19 year olds participating in learning that meets the EMA eligibility criteria.
	Colleges are allocated discretionary funding to help students aged 20 and over meet childcare costs. Learners under the age of 20 can apply for help with childcare costs through Care to Learn. Discretionary Learner Support Funds are also available for learners over the age of 16 experiencing financial hardship.
	Learners can also apply for loans. Since July 2009, students have been able to apply for Professional and Career Development Loans (P and CDLs). These build on the successful Career Development Loans programme and offer more generous terms for students with loans up to 10,000 and lower interest rates.

Further Education: Government Assistance

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how much Government funding was made available for further education in the academic year 2008-09.

Kevin Brennan: holding answer 16 September 2009
	Expenditure by the former Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills (DIUS) on adult further education (FE) and skills for 2008-09 was 4.852 billion. This is based on expected outturn data as reported in the 2009 departmental report (July 2009).
	The majority of funding is routed through the Learning and Skills Council (LSC) and supports adult participation through the Adult Learner Responsive route, Employer Responsive route (Train to Gain and Apprenticeships), and Adult Safeguarded Learning.
	Some of the resource expended by DIUS supported the wider FE sector including the pre 19 age group, in the role which DIUS had as sponsor of the FE service.

Haulage: Government Assistance

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what support his Department has provided to the haulage industry during the economic downturn.

Patrick McFadden: The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills does not provide any specific support for the haulage sector. However, we have taken steps to help improve cash flow, to increase the availability of the credit businesses need, and to encourage investment so that businesses come through the recession ready to grow.
	In particular, we obtained bank lending commitments from RBS and Lloyds to lend 27 billion additional lending to businesses this year. This includes lending guaranteed under the Working Capital Scheme.
	In addition, we introduced a trade credit insurance top-up scheme which provides protections for firms suffering a reduction in cover.
	We have also taken steps to assist small businesses to overcome short-term cash-flow problemsfor example the enterprise finance guarantee and also measures to ensure prompt payment by both public and private sectors.
	In October 2008, Business Link introduced a health check service from which 2,394 businesses in the transport, storage and communications sector have benefited.

Higher Education

Matthew Taylor: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills 
	(1)  what proportion of university students who started their course in each year since 1997 had parents in the  (a) A,  (b) B,  (c) C1,  (d) C2,  (e) D and  (f) E social grouping;
	(2)  what proportion of students from Cornwall who started a higher education course in each year since 1997 had parents in the  (a) A,  (b) B,  (c) C1,  (d) C2,  (e) D and  (f) E social grouping.

David Lammy: The latest information on socio-economic classification from the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) is shown in the table. Parental socio-economic classification information is self-reported by entrants aged under 21, therefore figures are restricted to this group of entrants. This information should be regarded with caution due to the high proportion of students who fail to report their parents' occupations, or who provide incomplete or imprecise information. Figures prior to 2002/03 are not comparable due to the change from social class to socio-economic classification.
	Figures for the 2008/09 academic year will be available in January 2010.
	
		
			  Full-time undergraduate entrants by local authority and socio-economic classification, UK higher education institutions( 1) , academic years 2002/03 to 2007/08 
			  Academic year  Local authority  Higher managerial and professional occupations  Lower managerial and professional occupations  Intermediate occupations  Small employers and own account workers  Lower supervisory and technical occupations 
			 2002/03 All entrants(4) 17 22 10 5 3 
			   of which; Cornwall 14 24 9 8 4 
			
			 2003/04 All entrants(4) 19 25 10 6 4 
			   of which; Cornwall 15 24 11 9 5 
			
			 2004/05 All entrants(4) 18 25 10 6 4 
			   of which; Cornwall 14 24 9 8 5 
			
			 2005/06 All entrants(4) 17 23 10 5 4 
			   of which; Cornwall 13 23 9 8 5 
			
			 2006/07 All entrants(4) 17 22 9 6 4 
			   of which; Cornwall 12 25 10 9 5 
			
			 2007/08 All entrants(4) 17 22 9 5 3 
			   of which; Cornwall 14 24 9 10 5 
		
	
	
		
			  Academic year  Local authority  Semi-routine occupations  Routine occupations  Never worked and long-term unemployed( 2)  Missing/not classified  Total 
			 2002/03 All entrants(4) 7 4 0 31 100 
			   of which; Cornwall 7 4 0 30 100 
			
			 2003/04 All entrants(4) 8 4 0 25 100 
			   of which; Cornwall 9 3 0 24 100 
			
			 2004/05 All entrants(4) 8 4 0 26 100 
			   of which; Cornwall 8 4 0 28 100 
			
			 2005/06 All entrants(4) 8 4 0 30 100 
			   of which; Cornwall 8 4 0 30 100 
			
			 2006/07 All entrants(4) 8 4 0 32 100 
			   of which; Cornwall 9 4 0 26 100 
			
			 2007/08 All entrants(4) 8 4 0 31 100 
			   of which; Cornwall 9 4 0 24 100 
			 (1 )Excludes the Open university due to inconsistencies in their coding of entrants across the time series. (2 )Information is not comprehensively collected on the 'never worked and long-term unemployed' category for students: Students who fit this group are usually classed as having missing information. (3 )Covers students whose socio-economic classification was missing or not classified: not classified includes occupations which were inadequately described, not classifiable or unstated. (4 )Covers entrants of all domiciles.  Note: Figures are based on a HESA standard registration population.  Source:  Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA).

Higher Education: Admissions

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how many young people entered  (a) further and  (b) higher education in the last 12 months.

Kevin Brennan: holding  answer 16 September 2009
	Information on the number of young people participating in further education is given in a statistical first release, the last version being published on 25 June 2009:
	http://www. thedataservice.org.uk/statistics/sfriun09
	In 2007-08, the latest year for which full-year figures are available, 1,055,600 learners aged under 19 participated in further education (excluding school sixth forms). Provisional figures for the 2008-09 academic year will be available in October 2009. In 2007-08, the latest year for which figures are available, 301,055 students aged under 21 entered English Higher Education Institutions. Figures for the 2008-09 academic year will be available in January 2010.
	 Notes for further education figure:
	1. Source: FE, WBL, UFI and ACL ILR datacoverage: England.
	2. This figure has been rounded to the nearest hundred.
	3. This figure is based on age as at 31 August of the academic year. The common definition used for young people in further education is Under 19.
	4. This figure includes participation in FE (General Further Education Colleges including Tertiary, Sixth Form Colleges, Special CollegeAgricultural and Horticultural Colleges and Art and Design Colleges, Specialist Colleges and External Institutions), UFI, ACL and Work-based Learning. It includes a small element of FE provision delivered in HE organisations where the organisations have submitted ILR data. Data regarding school sixth forms is not included.
	5. This figure is a count of the number of learners that participated at any point during the year. Learners undertaking more than one course will appear only once for each data collection. However, learners that are included in different data collections (e.g. participating in FE and undertaking an apprenticeship) will be counted more than once. Information on the number of learners entering/starting a course in published for apprenticeships but not FE provision.
	 Notes for higher education figure:
	1. Source: Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA).
	2. This figure is taken from the HESA student record which is collected annually, is based on a HESA standard registration population and has been rounded to the nearest five.
	3. This figure covers students from all domiciles entering both full-time and part-time courses of all levels. This figure refers to students starting the first year of their course in the 2007-08 academic year and is based on age as at 31 August of the academic year. The common definition used for young people in higher education is Under 21.

Higher Education: Finance

David Willetts: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what effect  (a) the freeze in maintenance loans and grants,  (b) the abolition of the guaranteed maximum financial support for new students previously in receipt of the educational maintenance allowance,  (c) the reduction in the student loan repayment holiday from five years to two years and  (d) the reduction in support for students on initial teacher training courses will have on expenditure on student support in 2010-11; what proportion of originally planned expenditure will be saved in each case; and if he will make a statement.

David Lammy: This Government remain committed to ensuring that financial support should enable students to benefit from higher education, particularly for those who most need help to study, while at the same time being affordable overall.
	Regulations for the academic year 2010-11 were laid on 1 July setting out the entitlements for students. Initial estimates indicate that the changes in the regulations, taken together, will reduce expenditure by some 60 million in grants and 130 million in loans(1 )in financial year 2010-11 compared to previous estimates.
	(1) Loans expenditure expressed in resource terms. These costs are made up of the interest rate subsidy of loans together with the costs that are never repaid, for example, loans that are written off after 25 years or death of the borrower.
	In the current economic climate, we believe these tough decisions are in the interests of students, universities and taxpayers alike. The measures we have taken will help ensure the student support system is affordable and sustainable in the longer term but without damaging access to higher education.

Higher Education: Hertfordshire

Michael Penning: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how many people aged  (a) 21 years and under and  (b) over 21 years old in each socio-economic group resident in (i) Hemel Hempstead constituency, (ii) Dacorum and (iii) Hertfordshire attended university in each of the last five years.

David Lammy: The latest information from the Higher Education Statistics Agency is shown in the tables. Figures for 2008/09 will be available in January 2010.
	
		
			  Table 1: Full-time undergraduate enrolments( 1)  from Hemel Hempstead parliamentary constituency by age and socio-economic classification( 2 ) UK higher education institutions academic years 2003/04 to 2007/08 
			   2003/04  2004/05  2005/06  2006/07  2007/08 
			  Socio-economic classification  21 and under  Over 21  21 and under  Over 21  21 and under  Over 21  21 and under  Over 21  21 and under  Over 21 
			 Higher managerial and professional occupations 160 5 235 10 265 25 255 30 270 25 
			 Lower managerial and professional occupations 205 20 295 25 335 30 330 35 350 35 
			 Intermediate occupations 110 10 150 20 155 20 145 25 150 20 
			 Small employers and own account workers 40 5 55 5 65 5 60 10 70 5 
			 Lower supervisory and technical occupations 30 5 45 5 50 10 50 5 45 5 
			 Semi-routine occupations 75 15 85 15 100 20 95 25 110 30 
			 Routine occupations 30 0 35 0 40 5 35 10 35 10 
			 Never worked and long-term unemployed(3) 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Total known 650 55 900 80 1,000 125 970 145 1,035 130 
			 Missing(4) 570 225 295 205 225 200 210 190 250 180 
			 (1) The table does not include enrolments where the parliamentary constituency of the student cannot be established due to missing or invalid home postcodes. (2) This field collects the socio-economic classification of students participating in HE if 21 or over at the start of their course or parental classification if under 21. (3) Information is not comprehensively collected on the Never worked and long-term unemployed category for students: Students who fit this group are usually classed as having missing information. (4) Covers students whose socio-economic classification was missing or not classified: not classified includes occupations which were inadequately described, not classifiable or unstated.  Note: Figures are based on a HESA standard registration population and have been rounded up or down to the nearest five, therefore components may not sum to totals.  Source: Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 2: Full-time undergraduate enrolments( 1)  from Dacorum census district by age and socio-economic classification( 2)  UK higher education institutions academic years 2003/04 to 2007/08 
			   2003/04  2004/05  2005/06  2006/07  2007/08 
			  Socio-economic classification  21 and under  Over 21  21 and under  Over 21  21 and under  Over 21  21 and under  Over 21  21 and under  Over 21 
			 Higher managerial and professional occupations 310 10 485 25 530 45 525 60 545 J 50 
			 Lower managerial and professional occupations 335 30 485 45 550 50 560 55 605 55 
			 Intermediate occupations 160 20 225 25 245 30 230 35 235 30 
			 Small employers and own account workers 65 5 90 5 95 10 95 10 115 5 
			 Lower supervisory and technical occupations 45 5 70 5 80 10 80 10 75 10 
			 Semi-routine occupations 100 20 115 20 140 35 140 35 155 40 
			 Routine occupations 40 5 50 5 55 15 50 15 50 15 
			 Never worked and long-term unemployed(3) 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Total known 1,050 85 1,520 130 1,695 195 1,685 225 1,780 210 
			 Missing(4) 920 340 445 305 360 275 360 260 430 250 
			 (1) The table does not include enrolments where the Census district of the student cannot be established due to missing or invalid home postcodes. (2) This field collects the socio-economic classification of students participating in HE if 21 or over at the start of their course or parental classification if under 21. (3) Information is not comprehensively collected on the Never worked and long-term unemployed category for students: Students who fit this group are usually classed as having missing information. (4) Covers students whose socio-economic classification was missing or not classified: not classified includes occupations which were inadequately described, not classifiable or unstated.  Note: Figures are based on a HESA standard registration population and have been rounded up or down to the nearest five, therefore components may not sum to totals.  Source: Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 3: Full-time undergraduate enrolments( 1)  from Hertfordshire local authority by and socio-economic classification( 2 ) UK higher education institutions academic years 2003/04 to 2007/08 
			   2003/04  2004/05  2005/06  2006/07  2007/08 
			  Socio-economic classification  21 and under  Over 21  21 and under  Over 21  21 and under  Over 21  21 and under  Over 21  21 and under  Over 21 
			 Higher managerial and professional occupations 2,955 85 4,015 175 4,360 300 4,405 405 4,440 415 
			 Lower managerial and professional occupations 3,035 190 3,915 335 4,240 415 4,345 510 4,350 505 
			 Intermediate occupations 1,380 175 1,735 250 1,925 305 2,010 315 2,015 320 
			 Small employers and own account workers 650 25 785 60 840 90 840 120 870 100 
			 Lower supervisory and technical occupations 410 15 510 25 560 50 575 70 550 65 
			 Semi-routine occupations 870 165 960 195 1,100 270 1,130 275 1,175 285 
			 Routine occupations 335 50 360 65 390 100 425 100 430 95 
			 Never worked and long-term unemployed(3) 0 0 0 0 5 0 5 0 10 0 
			 Total known 9,640 700 12,275 1,105 13,415 1,525 13,740 1,795 13,845 1,790 
			 Missing(4) 7,270 3,060 3,565 2,635 2,890 2,455 2,900 2,165 3,155 2,135 
			 (1) The table does not include enrolments where the Local Authority of the student cannot be established due to missing or invalid home postcodes. (2) This field collects the socio-economic classification of students participating in HE if 21 or over at the start of their course or parental classification if under 21. (3) Information is not comprehensively collected on the Never worked and long-term unemployed category for students: Students who fit this group are usually classed as having missing information. (4) Covers students whose socio-economic classification was missing or not classified: not classified includes occupations which were inadequately described, not classifiable or unstated.  Notes: Figures are based on a HESA standard registration population and have been rounded up or down to the nearest five, therefore components may not sum to totals.  Source: Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA)

Higher Education: Maintenance Grants

Michael Penning: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how many students were receiving non-repayable maintenance grants from  (a) Dacorum and  (b) Hertfordshire County Council local education authority in the latest period for which figures are available; and what the average grant received by such students was in that period.

David Lammy: The information requested is as follows:
	
		
			  Students awarded grants in academic year 2008/09 (provisional)( 1) 
			  Local authority  Number of students awarded grants  Average () 
			 Hertfordshire 8,530 2,090 
			 (1) Figures cover the Higher Education Grant, the Maintenance Grant and grants and allowances for children and dependents. Each of these grant types has a different maximum entitlement amount. Data at mid-November 2008. Figures may change as later applications are processed.  Source: Student Loans Company 
		
	
	Reliable information is not available at district level.

Higher Education: Overseas Students

Don Touhig: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how many non-UK domiciled students of each nationality were offered and accepted places on veterinary science degree courses at universities in England in the last five academic years.

David Lammy: The information is in the following table. A further breakdown of each non-UK student's country of domicile or declared nationality is not available. Figures for academic year 2009-10 are not yet available.
	
		
			  Offers and acceptances for non-UK domiciled applicants for veterinary science degrees at institutions in England 
			   2004-05  2005-06  2006-07  2007-08  2008-09 
			 Applicants receiving offers 21 37 58 47 66 
			 Accepted applicants 12 14 35 28 35 
			  Notes: 1. 'Offers' covers students who were offered a place which was dependent on obtaining satisfactory exam results or on non-academic conditions. 2. Accepted applicants cover students who obtained specified results and were accepted for study on their chosen course.  Source: UCAS

Infrastructure UK

Gregory Barker: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what work Infrastructure UK plans to take in relation to  (a) broadband communications and  (b) the development of a smart grid electricity network.

Patrick McFadden: We are in the process of establishing the future work plan for Infrastructure UK. As detailed in Building Britain's Future, full details of the new body will be announced and it is intended that a chair appointed in time for the pre-Budget report.

Infrastructure UK: Ofgem

Gregory Barker: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what work Infrastructure UK plans to take in collaboration with Ofgem.

Patrick McFadden: We are in the process of establishing the future work plan for Infrastructure UK. As detailed in Building Britain's Future, full details of the new body will be announced and it is intended that a chair appointed in time for the pre-Budget report.

Insolvency

Lorely Burt: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how many reports reviewed as part of the recent Statement of Insolvency Practice 16 performance report did not provide sufficient information to creditors on valuation and marketing.

Ian Lucas: The disproportionate cost threshold for providing an answer to a parliamentary question is 750.
	The area of the Department responsible for answering a parliamentary question assesses the costs involved, including staff and other resources, and whether this represents disproportionate cost.
	To answer this question would involve examining some 202 separate reports. To determine which of those reports did not provide sufficient information regarding valuation and/or marketing would require significant staff resources, which would be in excess of the 750 disproportionate cost threshold.

Insolvency

Lorely Burt: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how many of the failed reports referred to in the recent Statement of Insolvency Practice 16 performance report related to insolvency practitioners under each of the authorising bodies in the UK.

Ian Lucas: The disproportionate cost threshold for providing an answer to a parliamentary question is 750.
	The area of the Department responsible for answering a parliamentary question assesses the costs involved, including staff and other resources, and whether this represents disproportionate cost.
	To answer this question would involve examining some 202 separate reports. Administration appointments are also often held by more than one insolvency practitioner acting on a joint and several basis.
	To determine which insolvency practitioners provided information deemed non-compliant with SIP 16 by reference to their authorising body would therefore require significant staff resources, which would be in excess of the 750 disproportionate cost threshold.

Insolvency

Mark Hunter: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills whether his Department releases to company creditors Insolvency Service reports on the actions of disqualified directors; and if he will make a statement.

Ian Lucas: Details of unfit conduct by a disqualified director are made available to creditors and other third parties via the Insolvency Service's website and via press releases. Official Receivers may also provide an additional report to creditors on the unfit conduct.

Insolvency Service: Finance

Mark Oaten: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills pursuant to the answer of 13 July 2009,  Official Report, columns 196-7W, on the Insolvency Service: finance, how much was held in the Insolvency Service's  (a) insolvency services accounts,  (b) insolvency services investment account and  (c) national insurance fund on average in each month of each of the last three years.

Ian Lucas: The amounts held in the Insolvency Service's  (a) Insolvency Services Accounts,  (b) Insolvency Services Investment Account and  (c) national insurance fund on the last day of each month for the last three years were:
	
		
			  000 
			  Month  (a)  (b)  (c) 
			  2006
			 April 65,133 1,170,000 1,701 
			 May 17,621 1,239,000 271 
			 June 6,878 1,213,000 754 
			 July 10,435 1,228,000 141 
			 August 7,157 1,247,000 7,306 
			 September 11,342 1,207,000 3,193 
			 October 8,958 1,226,000 1,290 
			 November 8,232 1,202,000 2,367 
			 December 3,648 1,320,000 4,013 
			 
			  2007
			 January 12,657 1,275,000 3,124 
			 February 7,650 1,358,000 5,837 
			 March 7,503 1,399,000 3,411 
			 April 9,922 1,340,000 2,354 
			 May 7,801 1,344,000 1,807 
			 June 9,240 1,341,000 3,317 
			 July 7,567 1,435,000 1,945 
			 August 7,423 1,366,000 838 
			 September 5,960 1,372,000 5,440 
			 October 7,449 1,398,000 4,123 
			 November 9,388 1,404,000 6,584 
			 December 5,632 1,391,000 4,476 
			 
			  2008
			 January 17,213 1,379,000 4,755 
			 February 64,768 1,462,000 2,658 
			 March 9,030 1,501,000 4,093 
			 April 6,285 1,429,000 644 
			 May 8,551 1,431,000 2,307 
			 June 46,901 1,404,000 2,131 
			 July 6,542 1,479,000 2,150 
			 August 7,669 1,486,000 791 
			 September 5,571 1,483,000 4,646 
			 October 8,068 1,466,000 6,307 
			 November 7,560 1,451,000 1,260 
			 December 6,295 1,436,000 3,859 
			 
			  2009
			 January 9,423 1,427,000 2,259 
			 February 7,233 1,407,000 586 
			 March 3,516 1,386,000 1,568 
			 April 8,104 1,360,000 5,154 
			 May 6,916 1,331,000 8,410 
			 June 6,204 1,294,000 7,634 
			 July 27,506 1,244,000 4,031

Meetings

John Penrose: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what the Secretary of State's engagements were from 14 to 20 September 2009.

Patrick McFadden: My noble Friend the Secretary of State undertook various internal and external engagements during this period.

Millennium Compliance

Peter Lilley: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills 
	(1)  what estimate the Government made of the proportion of UK companies which took steps to prepare for the millennium date change;
	(2)  whether his Department's predecessor undertook any review of its programme of preparation for the millennium date change.

Ian Lucas: holding answer 9 September 2009
	The risk to the UK economy from the millennium bug was judged to lie predominantly with the 250,000 SME companies in the UK. The primary aim of the Action 2000 programme was therefore to communicate to this diverse group, and this strategy resulted in an overall readiness rate for the SME sector of 86 per cent.
	This information is contained in a publication presented to Parliament in April 2000 entitled 'Modernising Government in Action: Realising the Benefits of Y2K' (Cm 4703), which also reviewed the Action 2000 programme more generally, in the context of learning lessons for future initiatives.

Misconduct Claims

Lorely Burt: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how many misconduct claims relating to  (a) pre-pack administrations and  (b) other administrations there were in each of the last four years.

Ian Lucas: Insolvency legislation does not distinguish between pre-pack and other administrations. Disqualification claims against the directors of insolvent companies are not recorded by reference to specific insolvency procedures.
	The Insolvency Service does not therefore hold the information requested.

Motor Vehicles: Manufacturing Industries

George Osborne: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how many  (a) loans and  (b) loan guarantees have been given under the Automotive Assistance Programme; and what the monetary value is of each.

Ian Lucas: holding answer 16 September 2009
	 No loans or guarantees have been made under the AAP yet.
	BIS has already been in direct contact with nearly two-thirds of all companies who qualify for AAP assistance. To date, BIS officials have worked with over 20 companies on their formal expressions of interest.
	BIS officials are in advanced negotiations with companies for applications with a value of some 1 billion driving projects worth nearly 2 billion, and there are discussions in place that have the potential to lead to awards of a further 1 billion.
	The AAP is a long-term investment programme and the pace is being dictated by the companies who ask for time to prepare their business cases and negotiate financing with potential lenders.
	The details of support to companies are commercially sensitive and subject to agreement. As a general rule, the Government's intention is to offer loan guarantees, though there is scope under the scheme to offer loans as well.

Motor Vehicles: Manufacturing Industries

Mark Oaten: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what representations he has received from the automotive industry on the automotive assistance programme since its introduction.

Ian Lucas: BIS has been in regular contact with the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders about the Automotive Assistance Programme (AAP) as well as direct contact with over 90 automotive companies (including Tata Motors European Technical Centre where a 10 million loan has been announced). We have been working with over 20 companies on their formal expressions of interest.

National Centre for the Replacement, Refinement and Reduction of Animals Research

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what partnerships by the National Centre for the Replacement, Refinement and Reduction of Animals Research has entered into with animal welfare organisations since its establishment.

David Lammy: The Government established the National Centre for Replacement, Refinement and Reduction of Animals in Research (NC3Rs) in 2004 to accelerate the development and application of the 3Rs. The NC3Rs works with research funders, universities, industry, regulatory authorities and animal welfare organisations to advance the 3Rs.
	Since its inception, the NC3Rs has worked with the UK's leading animal welfare organisations; the Fund for the Replacement of Animals in Medical Experiments (FRAME), the RSPCA and the Universities Federation for Animal Welfare (UFAW).
	This year, the NC3Rs held a joint meeting with FRAME to celebrate two important landmarks; FRAME's 40 anniversary and the 50 anniversary of the publication which first described the principles of the 3Rs. The NC3Rs, also in 2009, jointly published with the RSPCA guidance on the sharing and archiving of genetically altered mice. The centre is also a member of the UFAW 3Rs Liaison Group and over the last three years has provided 30,000 to support the group's goal of funding studentships to develop practical solutions that advance laboratory animal welfare.

National Skills Academy for Nuclear: Government Assistance

Greg Clark: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what funding his Department has provided to the National Skills Academy for Nuclear since its creation; and what funding his Department plans to give to the academy in  (a) 2009-10 and  (b) 2010-11.

Kevin Brennan: The Learning and Skills Council (LSC) manages the National Skills Academy (NSA) programme on behalf of BIS and leads the NSA selection and appraisal process. Once a NSA has been approved, and subject to LSC funding priorities, NSAs can draw on funding from the LSC for three years, matched by contributions from business. After this the NSA is expected to be self sustainable through financial investment from employers and income from the NSA's activities.
	The NSA for Nuclear was officially launched by Government on the 31 January 2008, following approval of their three year business plan to take the NSA to the end of its development period in 2011.
	The total LSC funding to date (including 504,431 paid so far this year) is 6,718,904. In 2009/10 the total planned funding (including that already provided) is 1,419,200 with 43,288 planned funding for 2010-11.
	The NSA has also submitted applications for capital funding to the LSC for 2009-10 and 2010-11, which are currently being assessed.

Non-Departmental Public Bodies

John Hayes: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills for which non-departmental public bodies his Department is responsible; and what the budget of each is for 2009-10.

Patrick McFadden: The NDPBs for which the Department is responsible in 2009-10 and their budget are set out in the following table. Where the budget figures and BIS funding are different, this is because the bodies receive funding from other sources such as other Government Departments.
	
		
			   million 
			  Name of body  Dep artment  funding  Budget 2009-10 
			  Executive NDPBs   
			 Learning and Skills Council 4525 12,158 
			 Higher Education Funding Council for England 7809 7809 
			 Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council 814 814 
			 Science and Technology Facilities Council 630 630 
			 Medical Research Council 658 658 
			 Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council 452 452 
			 North West RDA 397 397 
			 Advantage West Midlands (RDA) 295 295 
			 Yorkshire Forward (RDA) 317 317 
			 Natural Environment Research Council 408 408 
			 Technology Strategy Board 254 323 
			 One North East (RDA) 249 249 
			 South West of England RDA 157 157 
			 East Midlands RDA 160 160 
			 South East England RDA 165 165 
			 Economic and Social Research Council 170 170 
			 East of England RDA 136 136 
			 Arts and Humanities Research Council 104 104 
			 UK CES (plus 23 SSCs) 89 89 
			 Student Loans Company 81 81 
			 Advisory Conciliation and Arbitration Service (ACAS) 52.3 57 
			 Consumer Focus 17 17 
			 Competition Commission 21 21 
			 UK Atomic Energy Authority 7 7 
			 Design Council 6  
			 Investors in People UK (now part of UK CES) 5 5 
			 Competition Service/Competition Appeals Tribunal 4 2009-10. Includes Competition Appeals Tribunal 
			 Local Better Regulation Office 4 4 
			 Capital for Enterprise Ltd 2 2 
			 Office for Fair Access 0.5 1 
			 British Hallmarking Council 0 0 
			 Construction Industry Training Board 0 Nilfunded from employer levy 
			 Engineering Construction Industry Training Board 0 Nilfunded from employer levy 
			 Film Industry Training Board for England and Wales 0 Nilfunded from employer levy 
			 Hearing Aid Council 0 1.5 funded by user fees 
			 National Endowment for Science, Technology and the Arts (NESTA) 0 Nilfunded by endowment from National Lottery 
			 Simpler Trade Procedures Board (SITPRO) 0.76 0.76 
			  Tribunal NDPBs   
			 Central Arbitration Committee 0.7 0.7 
			 Copyright Tribunal 0.15 0.15 
			 Insolvency Practitioners' Tribunal 0 0 
			 Competition Appeals Tribunal/Competition Service See competition service See competition service 
			  Advisory NDPBs   
			 Council for Science and Technology 0.15 0.15 
			 Industrial Development Advisory Board 0 0 
			 Low Pay Commission 1 1 
			 Regional Industrial Development Boards 0 0 
			 Strategic Advisory Board for Intellectual Property 0 0 
			 Union Modernisation Fund Supervisory Board 0 0 
			 Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Advisory Board 0 0

Non-Departmental Public Bodies

Lorely Burt: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how many times the  (a) Aerospace Innovation and Growth Leadership Council,  (b) Business Council for Britain,  (c) Capital for Enterprise Advisory Board,  (d) Environmental Innovations Advisory Group,  (e) Ethnic Minority Business Task Force,  (f) Ministerial Advisory Body on Manufacturing,  (g) Motorsport Development UK Advisory Board,  (h) Risk and Regulatory Advisory Council,  (i) Vulnerable Workers Pilot Practitioners' Panel and  (j) Women's Enterprise Task Force has met in each of the last four years; and when each body was established.

Ian Lucas: The information is as follows.
	
		
			Times met in: 
			  Name of body  Established (date)  2005  2006  2007  2008  2009 
			 Aerospace Innovation and Growth Leadership Council November 2005 1 2 1 (1) (1) 
			 Business Council for Britain June 2007 n/a n/a 1 3 3 
			 Capital for Enterprise Advisory Board July 2005 5 12 11 3 (1) 
			 Environmental Innovations Advisory Group July 2003 4 1 1 (1) (1) 
			 Ethnic Minority Business Task Force June 2007 n/a n/a 2 3 3 
			 Ministerial Advisory Group on Manufacturing January 2008 n/a n/a n/a 6 2 
			 Motorsport Development UK Advisory Board November 2003 4 4 4 4 1 
			 Risk and Regulation Advisory Council January 2008 n/a n/a n/a 11 6 
			 Vulnerable Workers Pilot Practitioners' Panel November 2006 n/a 1 2 1 (1) 
			 Women's Enterprise Task Force November 2006 n/a n/a 3 3 3 
			 n/a = not applicable (1) Ended

Non-Departmental Public Bodies: Buildings

Greg Clark: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills if he will place in the Library a copy of the  (a) display energy certificate and  (b) advisory report for public buildings issued in respect of each property occupied by (i) the Office of Fair Trading, (ii) the Postal Services Commission and (iii) UK Trade and Investment.

Patrick McFadden: The Office of Government Commerce (OGC) have published central Government Department's Display Energy Certificate (DEC) operational ratings on a building by building level. These can be found at:
	www.ogc.gov.uk/government_delivery_display_energy_ certificate_data.asp
	It should be noted that the Postal Services Commission share Hercules house in London with the Cabinet Office and UK Trade and Investment share Kingsgate house in London with this Department. The Office of Fair Trading occupy Fleetbank house and they are listed under their name.
	The table that OGC have published also includes DEC reference numbers for each building. These can be used to view each building's advisory report on the following website:
	https://www.ndepcregister.com/home.html

Operational Management Support Contracts

John Hayes: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what the monetary value is of operational management support contracts his Department has outsourced to consultants.

Patrick McFadden: The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills does not have a classification called operational management support.
	In 2008-09 the Department spent 18,526,935 on consultancy.

Overseas Trade: Kazakhstan

Bob Spink: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what his policy is on encouraging trade and investment between the UK and Kazakhstan; and if he will make a statement.

Ian Lucas: holding answer 16 September 2009
	UK Trade and Investment (UKTI) offers a full range of services for companies who wish to do business in Kazakhstan through trade and investment teams based in Astana and Atyrau. UKTI sponsored the Kazakh Growth Forum in June aimed at promoting business with Kazakhstan and contributed to the organisation of the visit by the lord mayor of London to Kazakhstan in late July this year. Next month my right hon. Friend the Minister for Higher Education and Intellectual Property (Mr. Lammy) will visit Kazakhstan to reinforce the UK's position as a preferred partner of Kazakhstan on higher and vocational education co-operation and represent the UK at the annual Kazakhstan International Oil and Gas Exhibition.
	UKTI also provides support for the Kazakh British Trade and Industrial Council. The council identifies new business opportunities and also focuses on ways to tackle barriers to trade and improve the environment for business. The last meeting was in Astana in July.

Overseas Trade: Maldives

David Amess: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what assistance his Department provides to businesses from the Maldives wishing to  (a) invest in the UK and  (b) take part in joint ventures with UK companies; how much his Department made available for these purposes in each of the last two years; and if he will make a statement.

Patrick McFadden: Businesses from any country, including the Maldives, are provided with assistance to invest in the UK or take part in joint ventures with UK companies either by UK Trade and Investment or the English Regional Development Agencies or Devolved Administrations. Full details of these services are available publicly on UKTI's website and the websites of the DAs and RDAs.
	There are no specific funds for either investment or trade with any one market.

Overseas Trade: Maldives

David Amess: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what the value of  (a) import and  (b) exports of (i) goods and (ii) services between the Maldives and the United Kingdom was in each of the last 10 years.

Ian Lucas: The information is as follows.
	(i) Overseas Trade Statistics data for UK trade in goods with the Maldives are shown in the following table.
	
		
			   million 
			   UK imports of goods from the Maldives  UK exports of goods to the Maldives 
			 1999 5.5 4.9 
			 2000 6.8 5.1 
			 2001 6.4 5.0 
			 2002 7.2 3.0 
			 2003 6.8 5.9 
			 2004 10.5 7.7 
			 2005 11.7 8.9 
			 2006 14.3 6.2 
			 2007 15.6 7.1 
			 2008 13.0 8.5 
		
	
	(ii) Data on trade in services are not available for the full 10 years requested. Table 9.13 of the UK Balance of Payments Pink Book 2009 gives the following figures for UK trade in services with the Maldives
	
		
			   million 
			   UK imports of services from the Maldives  UK exports of services to the Maldives 
			 2007 121 12 
			 2008 127 9

Overseas Trade: Maldives

David Amess: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps he  (a) has taken in the last 12 months and  (b) plans to take in the next 12 months to increase trade between the United Kingdom and the Maldives; how much his Department has spent on the promotion of trade between the United Kingdom and the Maldives in the last 12 months; and if he will make a statement.

Ian Lucas: The UK trade and investment team in Colombo which is responsible for trade and investment relations with the Maldives has undertaken a scoping mission to the Maldives and maintains regular contact with the Maldivian Ministry of Commerce. This scoping mission cost approximately 300. No other expenditure has been incurred in the last 12 months.
	In the coming 12 months UKTI has arranged for the Maldivian high commissioner in London to give a presentation on opportunities in the market to its regional trade advisers.

Parental Leave: Hertfordshire

Michael Penning: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what estimate has he made of the number of people in  (a) Hemel Hempstead constituency,  (b) Dacorum and  (c) Hertfordshire who took (i) paternity and (ii) maternity leave in the most recent period for which figures are available.

Patrick McFadden: The most recent estimates of take-up of maternity leave are based on Maternity Rights and Mother's Employment Decisions (published 2007). The survey is based on a random sample of mothers who had a baby between February and May 2006.
	Of mothers in paid work, all took at least some of their entitlement to maternity leave.
	Up-to-date estimates of fathers taking paternity leave are from the Maternity and Paternity Rights and Benefits in Britain: Survey of Parents, conducted in 2005. 93 per cent. of fathers took some time off around the time of the birth. Of the 93 per cent. who took some time off, 79 per cent. took paternity leave (The survey is based on a random sample of mothers who had a baby in December 2003 and their partners).
	The Department does not collect data on take-up of maternity and paternity leave at constituency level.

Patents

John Hayes: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills on how many occasions in the last 10 years a conflict has arisen between the Patent Office and the European Patent Office over the registration of individual patents.

David Lammy: A number of applicants file similar patent applications at both the Intellectual Property Office (IPO) and the European Patent Office (EPO). In cases where both applications result in granted patents valid in the UK, the IPO carries out a check to determine whether there is a conflict, that is whether both applications relate to the same invention. It will revoke a GB patent if an EP patent for the same invention is granted designating the UK. Over the past nine years, 1,148 GB patents were considered by the IPO for revocation in these circumstances (the data for the tenth year is not available). Many applicants amend one or other to remove any conflict, therefore avoiding revocation. There are over 500 cases where an application has been granted by one office and not the other, which is well below 1 per cent. of the total number of patents granted by the two offices. In many cases these applications are still pending before the other office. Determining precisely the outcome of the remainder, many of which will have been withdrawn for the applicant's own reasons, would involve information which is not held centrally and which could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Polly Toynbee

Eric Pickles: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what payments the Economic and Social Research Council has made to Ms Polly Toynbee in the last five years; and for what purposes.

David Lammy: holding answer 14 September 2009
	In the last five years the Economic and Social Research Council has made the following payments to Ms Polly Toynbee:
	2004-05587.50 for an Evaluation Review of an ESRC Research Centre, involving three days work;
	2005-06881.25 for an article for ESRC Society Today, the ESRC website. The article was 1,800 words long and involved two days work;
	2009-10400 for chairing an ESRC lecture on Recession and the Green Economy.

Post Office Ltd.: Royal Mail

Jonathan Djanogly: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills if he will bring forward proposals to increase the availability and clarity of information on the revenue received from Post Office Limited by the Royal Mail Group.

Patrick McFadden: Post Office Ltd. prepares a statutory report and accounts annually and these are publicly available through Companies House. As these indicate, Post Office Ltd. meets the full costs of employment of its staff who are all seconded from Royal Mail Group. In 2008-09 these costs totalled 293 million. In addition, Post Office Ltd. pays its share of the Royal Mail Group's central costs to its parent company.

Post Offices

Jonathan Djanogly: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how many Post Office branches are required to meet his Department's access criteria for Post Office branches.

Patrick McFadden: Post Office Ltd. estimates that the minimum size of network necessary to meet the access criteria is around 7,500 offices but it is Government policy to maintain a sustainable network of around 11,500 post offices. The 1.7 billion funding package announced in May 2007 supports the network at that level to 2011 and the Government recognise that there will be a continuing need for network subsidy payments beyond 2011.

Post Offices: Bank Services

Joan Walley: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what assessment his Department has made of the merits of establishing a state-owned post bank based upon the Post Office network.

Patrick McFadden: The idea of a state-owned Post Bank as proposed by, among others, the Post Bank Coalition, is an interesting contribution to the debate on Post Office financial services. The Government's priorities with respect to Post Office personal financial services are that the Post Office grows this important part of its business and continues to increase the range of products available across the network. This is an aim that the Business and Enterprise Select Committee report on 'Post OfficesSecuring Their Future' supports. Post Office Ltd is working hard on this and has recently announced that it aims to launch a current account next year.

Regional Development Agency: Finance

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what the annual budget is for each year to 2011 of each  (a) national and  (b) UKTI programme operated by regional development agencies and not included in the Solutions for Business portfolio.

Rosie Winterton: holding answer 16 September 2009
	The RDA total budget for 2009-10 is 2.253 billion and the budget for 2010-11 is 1.762 billion. RDAs are in the process of producing revised corporate plans showing how this will be spent in each region. The amount of money spent by each agency on Solutions for Business products and on other types of intervention will vary according to local and regional need for particular forms of business support and the wider economic context.

Renewable Energy: Government Assistance

Stephen Crabb: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills 
	(1)  what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of grant assistance given by his Department to developers of marine renewables technology in the last five years;
	(2)  how much funding his Department has provided to developers of marine renewable energy technology in the last five years.

Ian Lucas: In the last five years, the Department's funding to developers of marine renewable energy technology has primarily been delivered through the Technology Strategy Board (TSB). Support for collaborative R and D provided by the TSB to developers of wave and tidal renewable energy technologies in the last five years is as follows:
	
		
			   000 
			 2003-04 5,019 
			 2004-05 1,235 
			 2005-06 1,655 
			 2006-07 2,258 
			 2007-08 2,560 
			 2008-09 5,131 
		
	
	BIS also supports developers indirectly through investments via the Energy Technologies Institute and the Research Councils:
	In January the ETI announced 11 million for ReDAPT, to demonstrate the viability of a 1 MW tidal turbine, and expects to announce further marine projects with a potential value of 10 million during the next quarter.

Renewable Energy: Government Assistance

Stephen Crabb: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what mechanisms are in place to monitor the use by developers of marine renewables technology of financial assistance provided by his Department in the last five years.

Ian Lucas: The Department's support to developers of marine renewable energy technology is delivered through its delivery partners.
	Tidal energy projects funded by the Technology Strategy Board are monitored by a dedicated monitoring officer who is technically qualified to work in this specialist area and monitoring is carried out against:
	Stated project outputs, deliverables and milestones.
	The original and revised project plans, and
	Budgeted expenditure versus total grant.
	Projects are monitored monthly with formal reports furnished on a quarterly basis.
	Projects supported by the Energy Technologies Institute involve:
	Monthly reporting of progress (financial and non financial)
	Payment against deliverables only (not effort) with clear acceptance criteria
	Variations approved only as contract variation
	Projects reviewed at significant key stages (stage gates; go/no go) checking technology, financial progress and integrity of business case, and
	Annual reports on project progress.

Royal Mail

Michael Weir: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how much his Department spent on Royal Mail services in each of the last five years.

Patrick McFadden: During the last five financial years, this Department and its predecessors spent the following on Royal Mail services provided to buildings on its central London estate:
	
		
			  000 
			 2004-05 215.5 
			 2005-06 194.1 
			 2006-07 119.2 
			 2007-08 118.5 
			 2008-09 137.9

Strategic Investment Fund

Charles Hendry: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what estimate he has made of the amount of carbon dioxide emissions that will be abated as a result of the elements of the Strategic Investment Fund earmarked for low-carbon projects.

Patrick McFadden: It has not been possible to estimate the impact of projects supported by the Strategic Investment Fund on future carbon dioxide emissions.
	The Strategic Investment Fund is supporting the research, development and demonstration of key low carbon technologies in areas including wind and marine energy and electric vehicles, which if viable will support delivery of the carbon reduction targets to which the UK is committed. Wherever possible their potential to contribute to long-term abatement was taken into account.
	The Strategic Investment Fund was established to support advanced industrial projects of strategic importance, consistent with the vision set out in New Industry, New Jobs, and the UK Low Carbon Industrial Strategy. The latter, published on 15 July 2009, set out the first investments from the 250 million of funding allocated for low carbon economic development.

Strategic Investment Fund

Mark Prisk: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what proportion of the 750 million Strategic Investment Fund announced in the 2009 Budget has been allocated to individual projects; and how much has been paid from the fund to eligible projects.

Patrick McFadden: Over 700 million of the 750 million within the Strategic Investment Fund has already been allocated, or is earmarked for specific projects and investments. While such allocations have been made, the money has not in itself been drawn down as claims as they will either be paid in arrears, or on the basis of future calls.

Strategic Investment Fund

Adam Afriyie: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what the monetary value of payments to businesses from the is to date; what the average monetary value of such payments is; and how many  (a) life sciences and  (b) other businesses have received such payments.

Patrick McFadden: Over 700 million of the 750 million within the Strategic Investment Fund has already been allocated, or is earmarked for specific projects in support of the vision set out in New Industry New Jobs framework document. The remaining 50 million will be allocated to projects by the end of October.
	While commitments to fund investments have been made, the money has not in itself been drawn down as claims as they will either be paid in arrears, or on the basis of future calls. There is no average monetary value of such payments at this stage due to the differing values and timing of individual calls on the SIF. No businesses have received specific payments for life sciences, at this stage.

Students: Fees and Charges

Don Touhig: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how much on average a  (a) UK and  (b) non-UK citizen pays in tuition fees to study a veterinary science degree course at a university in England.

David Lammy: The information is not held by the Department.
	In the academic year 2009-10 students from the UK and EU will pay up to 3,225 in tuition fees to study veterinary science degree courses. Total expenditure over the length of their course will depend on whether their institution charges the maximum fee, and on the length of the course. Loans are available to eligible students to cover the full cost of tuition fees.
	Tuition fees for international students from outside of the EU are unregulated and therefore HEIs are free to set fee levels as they see fit.

Students: Loans

Michael Penning: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how many people of each age group resident in  (a) Hemel Hempstead constituency,  (b) Dacorum and  (c) Hertfordshire had not repaid their student loans on the latest date for which figures are available.

David Lammy: Borrowers become liable to repay their loans in the April after they leave their course (the Statutory Repayment Due Date). After that date those with earnings of over 15,000 will repay, usually by deductions from salary. Those liable to repay who have not yet made a repayment will include borrowers whose earnings are below the repayment threshold, have gone on to further study or are doing voluntary work.
	
		
			  Income-contingent loan borrowers, Hertfordshire, March 2009( 1) 
			  Age( 2)  Numbers who have not yet made a repayment  Numbers who have made a repayment  Total 
			 Less than 20 20 10 30 
			 20 to 24 2,180 4,790 6,970 
			 25 to 29 1,910 11,780 13,690 
			 30 to 39 530 1,200 1,730 
			 40 to 49 260 480 750 
			 50 and over 100 190 290 
			 Total 5,000 18,450 23,440 
			 (1) Table covers income-contingent loan borrowers past SRDD with known repayment status, the local authority in which the borrower was resident at the time of application for student finance; this does not indicate current residence. Figures rounded to the nearest 10. (2) Age at the end of the last tax year for which repayment/non-repayment information has been posted, mainly end of tax year 2007/08.  Source: Student Loans Company 
		
	
	Reliable information is not available at constituency or district level.

Students: Loans

Michael Penning: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how much has been deducted from the salaries of individuals in each income group resident in  (a) Hemel Hempstead constituency,  (b) Dacorum and  (c) Hertfordshire for student loan repayments in the last 12 months.

David Lammy: The information requested is as follows:
	
		
			  Student loans PAYE deductions, Hertfordshire, tax year 2007-08 (provisional)( 1) 
			  Earnings in tax year 2007-08  Numbers who have had a deduction from earnings under PAYE  Amount deducted from earnings under PAYE  Average amount deducted 
			 Less than 15,000 3,210 430,000 130 
			 15,000 to 20,000 3,200 970,000 300 
			 20,000 to 25,000 3,720 2,470,000 660 
			 25,000 to 30,000 2,710 2,880,000 1,060 
			 30,000 to 35,000 1,420 2,060,000 1,450 
			 35,000 to 40,000 740 1,340,000 1,800 
			 Over 40,000 1,060 3,110,000 2,920 
			 Total 16,070 13,250,000 820 
			 (1) Tables cover deductions by PAYE from income-contingent loans. Excludes Self Assessment deductions. Tables cover deductions which HMRC has notified to SLC by 31 March 2009. There will be further deductions notified for tax year 2007-08. The table shows the local authority where the borrower was resident at the time of application for student finance; this does not indicate current residence.  Source: Student Loans Company 
		
	
	Deductions from salaries are made when the borrowers' income is above 15,000 per year, 1,250 per month or 288 per week.
	Reliable information is not available at constituency or district level.

Temporary Employment: EC Law

Jonathan Djanogly: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills which  (a) businesses and  (b) other organisations his Department has consulted in relation to the implementation of EU Directive 2008/104/EC on Temporary Agency Work.

Patrick McFadden: The Department's forthcoming response to the consultation, which closed on 31 July, will include a list of the businesses and other organisations who responded publicly.

Temporary Employment: EC Law

Jonathan Djanogly: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what timetable has been set for the implementation in the UK of EU Directive 2008/104/EC on Temporary Agency Work.

Patrick McFadden: We are committed to ensuring that the implementing Regulations are on the Statute Book in the current Parliament.
	The Government's forthcoming response to the Consultation, which closed on 31 July, will be published shortly.

UK High Technology Investment Fund

Mark Prisk: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what assessment he has made of the liability his Department would incur in the event of a confirmed downturn in the performance of the UK High Technology Investment Fund; what criteria would be used in determining whether such a liability had to be paid; and if he will make a statement.

Patrick McFadden: The UK Innovation Investment Fund is a 10-year Fund of Funds. The Government are committing 150 million of tax payers' investment to the UK Innovation Investment Fund and we expect to leverage significant investment from the private sector.
	We aim to appoint an experienced Fund of Funds manager in December to manage the fund and make investments in underlying technology funds with the expertise and track record to invest directly in technology businesses. The Government and Capital for Enterprise Limited issued a Request for Proposals (RFP) from prospective Fund of Funds manager(s) on 3 August. The RFP sets out the Government's expectation that private and public funding should be invested on a pari-passu basis and that private investors should not receive advantageous terms. Bidders are asked to set out their investment strategies and demonstrate how they will raise money from private sector investors.
	It will not possible to say any more about the nature or terms of investments into underlying funds until an investment mandate is awarded.

Unemployment: Young People

Andrew Stunell: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how many and what proportion of people aged 16 to 24 years old were not in education, employment or training in  (a) each local authority area and  (b) each region in each of the last 12 quarters for which figures are available.

Kevin Brennan: Table 1 and table 2 as follows show the number and percentage of people aged1 16 to 24 not in education, employment or training by Government Office Region. These estimates are from quarterly Labour Force survey (LFS) data and are rounded to the nearest 1000.
	Table 3 shows the number and percentage of people aged(1) 16 to 24 not in education, employment or training by local education authority (LEA). These estimates are from the Annual Population survey (APS) which covers the period January to December. Due to the small populations of local authority areas, we have used the APS (which has a larger sample) to breakdown the estimates by LEA (larger geographical area). This enables us to provide more robust estimates.
	Please note that even for regions, sample sizes can be small and these estimates are subject to sampling variability. Confidence intervals, which indicate how accurate estimates are, are between 2 and 3 percentage points for these regional estimates, and between 3 and 10 percentage points for these local education authority estimates. Numbers have been rounded to the nearest thousand and estimates denoted with a '*' means less than 1000 young people are estimated to be NEET in that area.
	(1)Age used is the respondents academic age, which is their age at the preceding 31 August.
	
		
			  Table 1: People aged¹ 16 to 24 not in education, employment or training by region 
			   Q3 2006  Q4 2006  Q1 2007  Q2 2007  Q3 2007  Q4 2007  Q1 2008  Q2 2008  Q3 2008  Q4 2008  Q1 2009  Q2 2009 
			 England 970,000 808,000 828,000 833,000 909,000 782,000 810,000 840,000 973,000 857,000 935,000 959,000 
			 North East 53,000 45,000 48,000 47,000 52,000 49,000 52,000 56,000 65,000 54,000 57,000 69,000 
			 North West 140,000 120,000 127,000 134,000 144,000 120,000 136,000 139,000 151,000 142,000 156,000 155,000 
			 Yorks and Humber 118,000 95,000 97,000 92,000 105,000 82,000 75,000 101,000 119,000 92,000 107,000 121,000 
			 East Midlands 81,000 65,000 72,000 66,000 81,000 70,000 69,000 71,000 86,000 68,000 69,000 75,000 
			 West Midlands 112,000 96,000 111,000 107,000 111,000 93,000 95,000 98,000 119,000 105,000 126,000 131,000 
			 East of England 92,000 77,000 76,000 84,000 92,000 74,000 87,000 77,000 82,000 79,000 83,000 82,000 
			 London 184,000 148,000 119,000 130,000 136,000 123,000 129,000 132,000 149,000 131,000 127,000 120,000 
			 South East 115,000 93,000 107,000 112,000 125,000 116,000 104,000 111,000 131,000 122,000 130,000 142,000 
			 South West 74,000 68,000 70,000 61,000 63,000 56,000 63,000 55,000 71,000 63,000 78,000 66,000 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 2: Percentage of people aged¹ 16 to 24 not in education, employment or training by region 
			   Q3 2006  Q4 2006  Q1 2007  Q2 2007  Q3 2007  Q4 2007  Q1 2008  Q2 2008  Q3 2008  Q4 2008  Q1 2009  Q2 2009 
			 England 17 14 14 14 15 13 14 14 16 14 16 16 
			 North East 17 14 15 15 16 15 16 17 20 17 18 21 
			 North West 17 14 15 16 17 14 16 16 18 17 18 18 
			 Yorks and Humber 18 14 14 14 16 12 11 15 18 14 16 19 
			 East Midlands 16 12 14 13 15 13 13 13 16 13 13 14 
			 West Midlands 18 15 18 17 18 15 15 16 19 16 20 21 
			 East of England 16 13 13 14 15 12 14 13 13 13 14 13 
			 London 21 17 14 15 16 14 15 15 16 15 14 13 
			 South East 13 11 12 12 14 13 12 12 14 13 14 15 
			 South West 14 12 13 11 11 10 11 10 13 11 14 12 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 3: People aged¹ 16 to 24 not in education, employment or training by local education authority 
			   2006  2007  2008 
			   NEET  Percentage  NEET  Percentage  NEET  Percentage 
			 England 849,000 15 850,000 14 857,000 14 
			 Barking and Dagenham 6,000 25 4,000 20 4,000 20 
			 Barnet 3,000 7 1,000 4 7,000 19 
			 Barnsley 5,000 19 6,000 23 5,000 19 
			 Bath and North East Somerset 3,000 10 2,000 9 2,000 9 
			 Bedfordshire 7,000 15 7,000 16 4,000 8 
			 Bexley 4,000 17 3,000 12 3,000 14 
			 Birmingham 30,000 19 30,000 20 29,000 20 
			 Blackburn with Darwen 3,000 19 3,000 21 2,000 16 
			 Blackpool 4,000 22 3,000 20 2,000 12 
			 Bolton 5,000 14 5,000 14 4,000 12 
			 Bournemouth 2,000 7 2,000 11 3,000 14 
			 Bracknell Forest 1,000 11 1,000 11 2,000 13 
			 Bradford 12,000 18 12,000 18 9,000 14 
			 Brent 7,000 22 5,000 17 4,000 14 
			 Brighton and Hove 4,000 11 5,000 13 4,000 12 
			 Bristol 7,000 13 8,000 15 9,000 14 
			 Bromley 5,000 18 5,000 16 5,000 16 
			 Buckinghamshire 5,000 11 4,000 10 5,000 11 
			 Bury 3,000 17 3,000 19 3,000 14 
			 Calderdale 4,000 17 3,000 13 4,000 18 
			 Cambridgeshire 5,000 8 6,000 9 8,000 11 
			 Camden 4,000 16 3,000 12 3,000 10 
			 Cheshire 6,000 8 7,000 9 9,000 13 
			 Cornwall 5,000 10 7,000 13 5,000 10 
			 Coventry 6,000 14 6,000 15 9,000 19 
			 Croydon 2,000 7 6,000 15 6,000 16 
			 Cumbria 7,000 16 6,000 12 2,000 5 
			 Darlington 2,000 20 3,000 24 1,000 12 
			 Derby 4,000 16 5,000 16 4,000 13 
			 Derbyshire 14,000 19 13,000 16 10,000 14 
			 Devon 9,000 12 11,000 13 5,000 6 
			 Doncaster 6,000 20 5,000 14 8,000 22 
			 Dorset 2,000 5 4,000 11 3,000 8 
			 Dudley 4,000 11 4,000 14 8,000 19 
			 Durham 13,000 21 8,000 13 11,000 17 
			 Ealing 5,000 15 6,000 16 5,000 13 
			 East Riding of Yorkshire 5,000 14 4,000 11 5,000 14 
			 East Sussex 4,000 9 7,000 15 8,000 17 
			 Enfield 5,000 19 4,000 14 3,000 12 
			 Essex 16,000 11 19,000 13 21,000 14 
			 Gateshead 4,000 18 3,000 15 4,000 21 
			 Gloucestershire 9,000 16 6,000 10 6,000 10 
			 Greenwich 6,000 22 6,000 26 4,000 16 
			 Hackney 5,000 22 4,000 17 5,000 20 
			 Halton 2,000 15 2,000 16 3,000 23 
			 Hammersmith and Fulham 3,000 14 2,000 11 2,000 12 
			 Hampshire 14,000 11 19,000 14 16,000 11 
			 Haringey 8,000 26 4,000 15 6,000 20 
			 Harrow * * 2,000 11 3,000 13 
			 Hartlepool 2,000 23 2,000 26 3,000 27 
			 Havering 2,000 9 3,000 12 2,000 7 
			 Herefordshire 2,000 10 2,000 12 2,000 12 
			 Hertfordshire 15,000 14 13,000 12 14,000 13 
			 Hillingdon 4,000 15 6,000 18 4,000 15 
			 Hounslow 5,000 16 5,000 16 6,000 22 
			 Isle of Wight 2,000 17 2,000 13 2,000 18 
			 Islington 4,000 20 4,000 15 3,000 14 
			 Kensington and Chelsea 3,000 21 2,000 9 3,000 16 
			 Kent 23,000 16 24,000 17 25,000 17 
			 Kingston upon Hull 6,000 18 8,000 20 8,000 18 
			 Kingston upon Thames 3,000 17 2,000 11 2,000 11 
			 Kirklees 9,000 19 9,000 19 8,000 19 
			 Knowsley 4,000 20 4,000 22 5,000 20 
			 Lambeth 5,000 17 5,000 15 4,000 12 
			 Lancashire 19,000 14 17,000 12 21,000 14 
			 Leeds 11,000 10 16,000 13 20,000 15 
			 Leicester 7,000 14 7,000 15 9,000 18 
			 Leicestershire 6,000 9 6,000 9 9,000 14 
			 Lewisham 5,000 18 6,000 20 5,000 19 
			 Lincolnshire 11,000 16 10,000 14 10,000 13 
			 Liverpool 10,000 16 11,000 17 10,000 15 
			 Luton 4,000 18 4,000 17 4,000 16 
			 Manchester 10,000 13 12,000 15 13,000 16 
			 Medway 5,000 16 4,000 12 5,000 18 
			 Merton 3,000 13 3,000 14 3,000 15 
			 Middlesbrough 4,000 22 4,000 21 5,000 24 
			 Milton Keynes 3,000 16 4,000 14 2,000 9 
			 Newcastle upon Tyne 5,000 10 5,000 11 6,000 10 
			 Newham 6,000 18 7,000 18 4,000 12 
			 Norfolk 11,000 14 12,000 14 15,000 17 
			 North East Lincolnshire 4,000 23 3,000 17 4,000 21 
			 North Lincolnshire 3,000 15 3,000 18 2,000 15 
			 North Somerset 1,000 7 * * 2,000 7 
			 North Tyneside 4,000 18 4,000 17 4,000 20 
			 North Yorkshire 6,000 11 6,000 9 7,000 12 
			 Northamptonshire 11,000 14 11,000 13 12,000 14 
			 Northumberland 4,000 14 6,000 17 4,000 11 
			 Nottingham 8,000 15 8,000 14 7,000 12 
			 Nottinghamshire 12,000 13 10,000 11 12,000 14 
			 Oldham 7,000 24 6,000 25 7,000 25 
			 Oxfordshire 7,000 9 11,000 14 6,000 8 
			 Peterborough 4,000 20 5,000 22 4,000 20 
			 Plymouth 5,000 13 5,000 15 3,000 8 
			 Poole 2,000 15 1,000 10 2,000 12 
			 Portsmouth 4,000 15 3,000 9 3,000 8 
			 Reading 2,000 15 2,000 11 2,000 11 
			 Redbridge 6,000 22 4,000 16 4,000 14 
			 Redcar and Cleveland 3,000 17 3,000 19 4,000 27 
			 Richmond upon Thames 3,000 22 2,000 14 2,000 12 
			 Rochdale 6,000 22 3,000 14 3,000 14 
			 Rotherham 7,000 21 5,000 19 7,000 24 
			 Rutland * * * * * * 
			 Salford 5,000 20 4,000 16 6,000 22 
			 Sandwell 8,000 23 8,000 24 9,000 26 
			 Sefton 5,000 15 5,000 16 7,000 19 
			 Sheffield 12,000 16 12,000 15 13,000 16 
			 Shropshire 3,000 11 4,000 15 3,000 10 
			 Slough 3,000 18 2,000 15 2,000 14 
			 Solihull 2,000 12 3,000 16 4,000 18 
			 Somerset 8,000 15 8,000 13 7,000 13 
			 South Gloucestershire 2,000 7 2,000 9 2,000 7 
			 South Tyneside 4,000 24 3,000 15 3,000 16 
			 Southampton 6,000 14 6,000 18 4,000 10 
			 Southend on Sea 2,000 17 3,000 20 3,000 20 
			 Southwark 7,000 21 6,000 18 6,000 16 
			 St Helens 4,000 19 5,000 26 4,000 21 
			 Staffordshire 8,000 10 10,000 12 11,000 11 
			 Stockport 4,000 11 4,000 10 4,000 13 
			 Stockton-on-Tees 4,000 19 5,000 18 4,000 18 
			 Stoke-on-Trent 7,000 20 7,000 20 5,000 19 
			 Suffolk 10,000 15 8,000 11 11,000 16 
			 Sunderland 5,000 14 5,000 14 6,000 15 
			 Surrey 9,000 9 12,000 11 8,000 8 
			 Sutton 3,000 17 4,000 23 1,000 8 
			 Swindon 2,000 13 1,000 8 3,000 16 
			 Tameside 5,000 18 6,000 20 6,000 23 
			 Telford and Wrekin 4,000 20 3,000 15 3,000 15 
			 Thurrock 2,000 17 2,000 12 3,000 17 
			 Torbay 2,000 18 2,000 14 2,000 12 
			 Tower Hamlets 10,000 24 9,000 25 7,000 22 
			 Trafford 4,000 16 3,000 12 3,000 13 
			 Wakefield 7,000 19 8,000 17 7,000 16 
			 Walsall 7,000 21 8,000 24 5,000 17 
			 Waltham Forest 4,000 14 5,000 16 6,000 18 
			 Wandsworth 2,000 8 3,000 13 3,000 12 
			 Warrington 2,000 10 2,000 13 3,000 14 
			 Warwickshire 8,000 13 7,000 12 6,000 13 
			 West Berkshire 3,000 19 2,000 11 1,000 9 
			 West Sussex 9,000 13 8,000 11 8,000 11 
			 Westminster 4,000 11 5,000 14 5,000 15 
			 Wigan 7,000 21 6,000 17 5,000 13 
			 Wiltshire 5,000 13 3,000 9 7,000 15 
			 Windsor and Maidenhead 1,000 12 2,000 15 1,000 10 
			 Wirral 6,000 18 6,000 17 6,000 20 
			 Wokingham 2,000 9 * * 2,000 11 
			 Wolverhampton 6,000 21 7,000 23 9,000 29 
			 Worcestershire 6,000 12 4,000 8 5,000 8 
			 York 5,000 17 4,000 15 1,000 4

Care Homes

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the Government's response to the Royal Commission on Long-Term Care, Cm 4818-II, page 8, in which years the Government's investment would fund the cost of the Royal Commission's recommendation; what research his Department has commissioned to ascertain how much money goes to supporting older people in residential homes; and what recent estimates he has made of the average annual cost to his Department of supporting older people in residential care.

Phil Hope: The Government accepted each of the Royal Commission on Long Term Care's recommendations except the recommendation to provide free personal care. Making personal care free for everyone carries a very substantial cost: the estimated cost is some 1.5 billion in 2003-04 rising to 2.65 billion in 2010-11.
	The NHS Information Centre for health and social care publishes annually data on councils' expenditure on residential care for older people. The latest data are 4,740 million gross or 3,340 million net of user charges for 2007-08.
	The Department commissioned the Personal Social Services Research Unit (PSSRU) at the London School of Economics to make projections of expenditure on long-term care for older people in England. In a joint study with the Universities of Essex and Birmingham, funded by the Nuffield Foundation, they estimated that the introduction of free personal care could cost between 1.3 billion and 1.8 billion or more in 2002PSSRU Research Summary 40, available at:
	www.pssru.ac.uk/researchsummaries.php

Care Homes: Learning Disability

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the median quality rating for  (a) local authority provision,  (b) voluntary provision,  (c) private provision and  (d) NHS provision of residential care home placements for adults aged under 65 years with learning disabilities in each (i) region and (ii) local authority area was in each of the last five years.

Phil Hope: The quality or star rating system for social care providers was introduced by the then regulator of social care, the Commission for Social Care Inspection (CSCI) in May 2008. For this reason, the information requested is not available for each of the last five years.
	Information on average quality ratings of care homes for younger adults with provision for people with learning disabilities, as at 8 August 2008 and 28 July 2009, has been provided by the Care Quality Commission (CQC), which took over the responsibilities of CSCI on 1 April 2009. This information has been placed in the Library.

Cervical Cancer

David Crausby: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what steps his Department is taking to increase awareness of cervical cancer symptoms by public healthcare professionals;
	(2)  if he will make it his policy to lower the cervical cancer screening age to 20 years.

Phil Hope: Through the National Awareness and Early Diagnosis Initiative, we are making the public and health care professionals more aware of the signs and symptoms of cancer, including cervical cancer and encouraging those who may have symptoms to seek advice earlier. We have allocated 5 million to the national health service to support cancer networks and primary care trusts in implementing services that will improve awareness of cancers and promote early diagnosis.
	A national audit in primary care of all patients diagnosed with cancer is being undertaken in collaboration with the Royal College of Practitioners and the National Patient Safety Agency. Findings from the audit will be used to make decisions about how best to provide more support to general practitioners and other primary care professionals to ensure early diagnosis of cancer.
	We have set up a working group to produce a new guideline to assist general practitioners in the management of young women who present in primary care with gynaecological symptoms. The aim is to issue the guideline before the end of the year.
	We are also preparing key messages on cervical cancer for members of the public. The first draft is currently being reviewed by an expert group of stakeholders, and our plans are to launch these before the end of the year. These will go on to NHS Choices and stakeholder websites, and stakeholders will be encouraged to use them in a variety of ways to raise awareness.
	The independent Advisory Committee on Cervical Screening (ACCS) at its formal review in May agreed unanimously that there should be no change in the current policy in England of starting cervical screening at 25 years. However, the cervical screening age range will be a standing item on the agenda of meetings of the ACCS, which reviews all new research to assess its significance to the cervical screening programme.
	NHS cancer screening programmes maintain an on-line database of literature relating to cervical screening, and publish 'Cervical Screening: Literature Update' twice a year. If further evidence is published that warrants another formal review of the screening age range, this will be done.

Contraceptives

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health on what measures the 26.8 million allocated for the improvement for young people's access to contraception in February 2008 has been spent; and if he will make a statement.

Gillian Merron: A total of 26.8 million has been allocated this year to strategic health authorities (SHAs) and primary care trusts (PCTs) to improve women's knowledge of, and access to the full range of contraception, to help reduce the number of teenage pregnancies and abortions.
	It is for SHAs and PCTs to determine how to use this funding most effectively to meet the needs of their local populations. However, officials are working with SHAs to provide advice and spread good practice. Priority areas include encouraging innovation and providing sustainable services to ensure equitable access to all methods of contraception including long acting reversible (LARC) methods. Guidance from the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence highlighted that the national health service could save around 100 million through reducing unintended pregnancies if women switched to LARC.
	In addition, each SHA will also receive an additional 250,000 to pump-prime the provision of information technology in community contraception services.

Dental Services

Michael Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much his Department spent on the Dental Access programme in the latest period for which figures are available; and how many staff the programme employs.

Phil Hope: In 2008-09, the Department spent an estimated 125,000 on commissioning specialist consultancy to support the new Dental Access programme. Precise costs and headcount figures are not available because some of the consultants supported a range of activities in which the Dental Access programme was only one element. Input from departmental staff to support the programme has been provided from within existing departmental resources at no additional cost to the Department.
	The Dental Access programme is providing on-going support to strategic health authorities and primary care trusts to help them improve access to NHS dental services and make the most effective use of the extra national health service funding, now totalling more than 2.25 billion, made available for primary dental care services. Information on expenditure on the Dental Access programme in 2009-10 will be available after the year end.

Dental Services

Michael Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Health on how many occasions  (a) he,  (b) his predecessor,  (c) other Ministers in his Department and  (d) Departmental officials met Professor Jimmy Steele and the Dental Review Team between the dates of the (i) announcement and (ii) publication of the independent review of NHS dental services in England.

Ann Keen: As was the case with previous Administrations, it is not the Government's practice to provide details of all such meetings. Professor Steele met a wide range of stakeholders as part of his independent review and these are listed in an annex to his review. This has been placed in the Library and is also available on the Department's website at:
	www.dh.gov.uk/en/Publicationsandstatistics/Publications/PublicationsPolicyAndGuidance/DH_101137

Dental Services

Michael Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much his Department has spent on its review of the dental public health workforce; and if he will make a statement.

Phil Hope: Officials with policy responsibilities for oral health and dental education within the chief dental officer's team are leading on the review with the help of an external consultant. As at July 2009, the consultant's fees and the costs of providing accommodation and services for meetings amounted to a total of approximately 43,000. Estimating and costing the proportion of the time, which officials have devoted to the review within their other duties, could be undertaken only at disproportionate cost.

Departmental Advertising

Pete Wishart: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much his Department spent on newspaper advertising carried in each newspaper in the most recent year for which figures are available.

Phil Hope: The following table provides a breakdown of the Department's expenditure through the Central Office of Information (COI) on advertising in each national newspaper for the 2008-09 financial year.
	To identify the amount of expenditure by the Department in each regional newspaper would incur a disproportionate cost.
	
		
			  National press  1 April 2008-31 March 2009 () 
			  The Sun 1,697,736 
			  News of the World 1,048,402 
			  Daily Mirror 1,255,682 
			  Sunday Mirror 474,998 
			  Sunday People 233,186 
			  Daily Star 230,934 
			  Daily Star Sunday 75,490 
			  Daily Mail 353,794 
			  Mail on Sunday 243,750 
			  Daily Express 197,952 
			  Sunday Express 119,896 
			  The Times 69,500 
			  The Sunday Times 29,970 
			  The Daily Telegraph 100,548 
			  The Sunday Telegraph 23,712 
			  The Guardian 59,604 
			  The Observer 10,500 
			  The Independent 16,677 
			  The Independent on Sunday 3,400 
			  Metro (National) 140,244 
			  The London Paper 39,854 
			  London Lite 20,010 
		
	
	
		
			  Ethnic press  1 April 2008-31 March 2009 
			  Daily Ausaf 1,000 
			  Eastern Eye 1,300 
			  The Muslim Weekly 1,200 
			  Pride 1,890 
			  The Trumpet 1,500 
			  The Voice 2,000 
			  Weekly Gleaner 1,200 
			  Asian Age 1,300 
			  Emel 2,000 
			  Asian Leader 1,000 
			  Asian Voice 1,400 
			  Asiana 2,500 
			  African Voice 1,500 
			  Notes: 1. All figures above exclude VAT. All figures exclude advertising rebates and audit adjustments and therefore may differ from COI official turnover figures. 2. Advertising spend is defined as covering only media spend (inclusive of agency commissions but excluding production costs, COI commission and VAT). 3. These figures do not include the Department's recruitment/classified advertising costs.  4. These figures may include occasional minor spend through COI by national health service organisations, to supplement national campaigns in their area. While this expenditure has been excluded as far as possible, it would incur disproportionate cost to validate that every item of NHS expenditure has been removed.

Departmental Advertising

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Health on which initiatives of his Department and its agencies expenditure on advertising has been incurred in each of the last five years; how much was spent on each such initiative; and which such initiatives were offered for tender through the Central Office of Information.

Phil Hope: The following table shows the Department's advertising expenditure over the last five completed financial years. A further breakdown of these figures is available in the Library.
	All departmental advertising listed as follows was carried out via the Central Office of Information (COI), with the exception of those initiatives highlighted with an asterisk. To identify other ad hoc expenditure not carried out via the COI would incur disproportionate cost.
	
		
			  Department of Health advertising spend( 1)  in 2004-05 to 2008-09 
			   million 
			  Campaign  2004-05  2005-06  2006-07  2007-08  2008-09( 2) 
			 Alcohol(3) 0.00 0.00 0.56 0.61 4.77 
			 Antibiotics 0.00 0.38 0.00 0.39 1.15 
			 Change4Life 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 7.69 
			 Drugs(4) 0.91 0.18 1.34 0.67 1.45 
			 Flu (Immunisation) 1.45 1.83 1.11 0.98 1.42 
			 Hepatitis C 0.00 0.00 0.52 1.34 1.30 
			 HPV Vaccination 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 2.80 
			 Immunisation 0.00 0.00 1.66 0.00 0.32 
			 National Health Service including nurse recruitment 5.96 0.22 0.00 0.00 0.00 
			 NHS Injury Benefits Scheme 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.40 0.00 
			 NHS Choices* 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.03 0.55 
			 Patient Choice* 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.53 
			 Respiratory and Hand Hygiene 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.32 1.53 
			 Sexual health/teenage pregnancy 1.40 0.00 2.88 3.11 2.83 
			 Social care/worker recruitment 1.80 L2.42 2.31 2.22 2.03 
			 SmokingTobacco Control 20.05 20.80 13.17 10.79 23.38 
			 Stroke 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 4.52 
			 Tobacco Legislation 0.00 0.00 0.32 5.38 0.00 
			 Winter (Get the right treatment/ask about medicines day) 0.54 0.59 0.00 0.00 0.00 
			 5 a Day 0.06 0.05 0.05 0.00 0.00 
			 E111/EHIC 0.24 1.00 0.00 0.00 0.16 
			 Department of Health outdoor campaign 0.32 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 
			 Totals 32.73 27.47 23.92 26.24 56.43 
			 (1) Advertising spend is defined as covering only media spend (inclusive of agency commissions but excluding production costs, COI commission and VAT). All figures exclude advertising rebates and audit adjustments and therefore may differ from COI official turnover figures. All figures are rounded to the nearest 10,000. These figures do not include departmental recruitment/classified advertising costs and ad hoc spend under 10,000. These figures may include occasional minor spend through COI by NHS organisations, to supplement national campaigns in their area. While this expenditure has been excluded as far as possible so that this chart reflects central departmental spend, it would incur disproportionate cost to validate that every item of NHS expenditure has been removed. (2) Provisional figures. (3) From 2006-07 Department of Health contribution to campaign run jointly with Home Office. (4) Department of Health contribution to campaign run jointly with Home Office

Departmental Marketing

Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Health with reference to the answer of 26 November 2008,  Official Report, column 2061W, on departmental marketing, how many staff in his Department are responsible for branding activity; and what the cost of employing such staff was in 2008-09.

Phil Hope: In the 2008-09 budget year three staff were employed to work on branding.
	The cost of employing branding staff during this period was 141,752.

Departmental Motor Vehicles

Andrew Stunell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much his Department spent on hire vehicles in each of the last five financial years.

Phil Hope: Figures for car hire expenditure booked through our car hire contract company Arval are only available for the last two years.
	
		
			   Car hire expenditure () 
			 2007-08 22,815 
			 2008-09 31,118 
		
	
	The previous car hire contract expired in May 2006 and figures for previous years are not easily available and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Departmental Non-domestic Rates

Justine Greening: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many properties owned by the Department were liable for payment of  (a) business rates and  (b) empty property rates in each of the last five years; and what the liability of each was in each such year.

Phil Hope: The information requested is provided as follows.
	The Department has occupied two freehold properties for which business rates are paid during the five-year period.
	Information in relation to empty business rates is not readily available other than for the last two years.
	
		
			   Business rates  Empty business rates 
			   Number of Properties  Cost ()  Number of Properties  Cost () 
			 2004-05 2 2,765,930  n/a 
			 2005-06 2 601,350  n/a 
			 2006-07 2 2,017,780  n/a 
			 2007-08 2 2,108,180 3 15,817 
			 2008-09 2 2,193,200 3 45,842

Departmental Public Consultation

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he plans to publish the responses to his Department's consultation on its Green Paper, Shaping the future of care together, Cm 7673.

Phil Hope: The Green Paper consultation closes on 13 November 2009. The Government's response to the consultation will be published after this date.

Departmental Public Expenditure

Bob Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent discussions he has had with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on whether funding presently allocated to his Department is to be re-allocated to the Department for Communities and Local Government to help implement the housing policies announced in the Draft Legislative Programme for 2009-10.

Phil Hope: The Secretary of State for Health discussed the Department of Health's contribution to the housing policies announced in the Draft Legislative Programme with the Chief Secretary to the Treasury, as part of the process of publishing Building Britain's Future.

Departmental Public Expenditure

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health with reference to the Prime Minister's announcement of 29 June 2009 on provision of social housing, whether funds from underspends in his Department's budget will be re-allocated to social housing initiatives.

Liam Byrne: I have been asked to reply.
	I refer the hon. Gentleman to the answer I gave on 21 July 2009,  Official Report, column 1352W.

Departmental Publications

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 1 July 2009,  Official Report, columns 350-1W, on parliamentary bulletins, what amendment was requested to the first edition of Westminster; for what reason a reference to the remuneration of the Chair of the Appointments Commission was removed; and what the Chair's remuneration is.

Phil Hope: The Appointments Commission had planned to include an article on the remuneration of Chairs in the first edition of the 'Westminster' bulletin. During discussions on the draft, departmental officials suggested that the article might raise expectations of Chairs of national health service organisations about the Secretary of State's discretion when deciding remuneration increases, within the framework of the Public Sector Pay Committee's decisions, which were not correct. The Appointments Commission, who have editorial control, made a decision to replace the article.
	The planned article was about Chairs' remuneration in general. It did not refer to the remuneration of the chair of the Appointments Commission specifically, and no such reference was removed from Westminster Bulletin.
	Remuneration for the Chair of the Appointments Commission is in the range of 45,000-50,000 as published in the Appointments Commission's latest Annual Report and Accounts (2008-09). This can be found on their website:
	www.appointments.org.uk/publications.asp

Departmental Publications

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the cost of producing his Department's publication Shaping the future of care together, Cm 7673, was; what the cost of obtaining pictures for the publication was; and from where the pictures were obtained.

Phil Hope: The production cost of the Green Paper Shaping the Future of Care Together was 68,451. The cost of obtaining pictures for the publication, which will also be used for The Big Care Debate, was 6,580. These were sourced from the national health service photo library, as well as from private image library banks.

Departmental Publications

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to his Department's Green Paper, Shaping the future of care together, Cm 7673, page 27, whether his Department has  (a) commissioned and  (b) evaluated research to update the figures provided by the study on Lifetime risk of entering residential or nursing home care in England.

Phil Hope: Research commissioned by the Department and carried out by the personal social services research unit (PSSRU) Analysing the costs and benefits of social care funding arrangements in England: technical report, Julien Forder and Jos-Luis Fernndez, 2009, PSSRU Discussion Paper 2644 looks at the lifetime probability of needing care and the cost of this care. This includes residential home care.

Departmental Publications

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to his Department's Green Paper, Shaping the future of care together, Cm 7673, page 19, what data modelling of a universal deferred payment mechanism his Department has undertaken; what estimate he has made of the inflationary costs of such a mechanism; what estimate he has made of the likely default rate under such a mechanism; and how his Department would finance such a mechanism.

Phil Hope: At present, local authorities that choose to can offer individuals to pay for their care through a deferred payments scheme. However, this option is not currently available to allapproximately 30 local authorities do not offer deferred payments to people entering residential care. The Green Paper proposes making the scheme available to all who wish to use it. Further detail on the assumptions made underpinning this proposal can be found in the Impact Assessment. The detailed design of the system, exactly how it would operate and the precise costs will be finalised once there is consensus about the preferred funding option, since the choice of funding option is likely to influence the cost of the deferred payment scheme.

Departmental Publications

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to his Department's Green Paper, Shaping the future of care together, Cm 7673, page 123, if he will place in the Library a copy of the data modelling for the  (a) comprehensive and  (b) partnership model.

Phil Hope: A summary of the costs and benefits for the comprehensive and partnership funding models are available in the regulatory impact assessment for the Green Paper, Shaping the Future of Care Together. This has been placed in the Library, and can be seen at:
	http://careandsupport.direct.gov.uk/greenpaper/the-green-paper-and-supporting-documents/
	A summary of the model from which these costs are derived has been placed in the Library, and can be seen at:
	http://www.pssru.ac.uk/pdf/dp2644.pdf

Departmental Publications

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether each of the models referred to in his Department's Green Paper, Shaping the future of care together, Cm 7673, page 123, is to be used in the funding of  (a) domiciliary,  (b) residential and  (c) domiciliary and residential care.

Phil Hope: All of the funding options cover the costs of care. The costs of care include services in both domiciliary and residential care.

Departmental Publications

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to his Department's Green Paper, Shaping the future of care together, Cm 7673, page 42, what assumptions were made on the level of state funding in each year to 2025.

Phil Hope: The Green Paper Shaping the Future of Care Together does not make any commitments about the level of state funding for adult social care in the future. This will be a matter for future spending reviews.
	The net cost to the state of each of the Green Paper funding options has been estimated for 2014 and 2026. This is given in the regulatory impact assessment (RIA) for the Care and Support Green Paper which is has already been placed in the Library, or can be seen at:
	http://careandsupport.direct.gov.uk/greenpaper/the-green-paper-and-supporting-documents/
	In order to produce these projections of likely cost it was necessary to make a series of assumptions for modelling purposes, including illustrative assumptions around levels of funding. The purpose of these projections is to provide early indicative costs to allow comparison between funding options: they are not intended to be a projection of actual future funding. The actual costs of the different models could alter substantially following decisions about precisely how the funding options are implemented, as well as by future public spending and prioritisation decisions.

Departmental Publications

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to his Department's Green Paper, Shaping the future of care together, Cm 7673, page 126, what definition his Department uses of a consensus across society; and what mechanisms he plans to use to determine the extent of such a consensus.

Phil Hope: The new National Care Service will affect every adult in England, whether people use the system themselves, have family members who need support, or are taxpayers. It is vital that everybody gets involved in the Big Care Debate to have their say on the future direction of the new care and support system.
	The Big Care Debate is one of the biggest consultations ever conducted by Government to find out the views of the public. We are reaching out to people in an unprecedented number of ways, through stakeholder events in every region in England, public road shows, leaflets, questionnaires and postcards, a dedicated website, outreach in general practitioner surgeries, universities and other locations and using new digital media including Facebook and Twitter.
	The consultation closes on 13 November 2009 and we will be looking closely at all the responses to identify what national consensus has formed around the options in Shaping the Future of Care Together, a copy of which is available in the Library.

Departmental Publications

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to his Department's Green Paper, Shaping the future of care together, Cm 7673, page 112, how many more people born with care and support needs would qualify for free care under the partnership element than qualify under his Department's current policies; and what estimate he has made of the cost of providing care for people who would qualify for all their care free under that element.

Phil Hope: We do not have an exact estimate of the number of people born with care and support needs who would qualify for free care under the partnership funding option outlined in the Green Paper Shaping the Future of Care Together. However, it is likely to be very similar to the number of people born with a disability who receive entirely free care under the present system of care and support.
	This is because currently, the majority of individuals who are born with a disability and who are entitled to state support receive their care free of charge because they tend not to have the opportunity to accumulate assets and they tend not to be in employment. This would also be the case under the partnership system.
	The Personal Social Services Research Unit estimate that cost of providing care for people who would qualify for all their care free under the partnership funding option in 2009 would be 9.8 billion.
	From the modelling results, the total cost of providing care to those who would qualify for all their care free under the partnership system can be approximated as the sum of the care costs for younger adults, since most will receive it for free, and the cost for the minority of older people who would receive their care entirely for free.
	Currently, this would amount to 4.7 billion for younger disabled people (younger physically disabled and people with learning disability) and 5.1 billion for older people, giving a total cost of 9.8 billion.

Departmental Publications

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to his Department's Green Paper, Shaping the future of care together, Cm 7673, page 77, what assessment he has made of the reasons for which there is little solid evidence about what prevention methods work best.

Phil Hope: Robust evidence that specifically examines the cost effectiveness of prevention interventions is limited. This is owing to the long time scales involvedthe impact of an intervention may not be felt for many yearsand the difficulty of establishing causality. In Securing Good Care for Older People Derek Wanless found that it can be difficult to make quantitative assessments due to the complex nature of prevention. This is because
	even when using a very narrow specific target such as reducing the number of falls in a locality, determining cost-effectiveness is not straightforward...[as] there may be numerous factors at play (for example new transport facilities).
	The Department is funding 29 local authority-led partnerships to take part in Partnership for Older People Projects (POPPs) across England. These partnerships include social care, health and third sector members, and aim to create a sustainable shift in resources and culture, moving away from institutional and hospital-based crisis care towards earlier and better-targeted interventions for older people within community settings. The pilots cover a wide range of activity to meet low to high levels of need. The final evaluation for these projects is expected in autumn 2009.
	The relative lack of quantitative evidence should not stop prevention pilots being trialled. There is a great deal of qualitative evidence for the value placed on lower-level services by older people in helping them to maintain their independence. That is why existing and new prevention and early intervention schemes funded by the Government build evaluations into their projects.

Departmental Publications

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to his Department's Green Paper, Shaping the future of care together, Cm 7673, page 40, if he will place in the Library a copy of HM Treasury's fiscal projections for the costs of long-term care.

Phil Hope: HM Treasury's long-term fiscal projections show that the costs of long term care are set to increase by 17 per cent. by 2027-28, from 1.2 per cent. of gross domestic product in 2007-08 to 1.4 per cent. in 2027-28. These projections are contained in the published Long-term public finance report, HM Treasury, March 2008.

Departmental Publications

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to his Department's Green Paper, Shaping the future of care together, Cm 7673, page 38, whether the statistics on life expectancy for children born with Down's syndrome are based on research undertaken in  (a) the UK and  (b) the US.

Phil Hope: The increase in life expectancy for people with Down's syndrome quoted in the Green Paper Shaping the Future of Care Together, Cm 7673, page 38 is based on American research.

Departmental Publications

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will place in the Library copies of the results of the  (a) polling and  (b) focus group work conducted in relation to his Department's Green Paper, Shaping the Future of Care Together, Cm 7673.

Phil Hope: The Case for ChangeWhy England needs a new care and support system: Engagement Findings has already been placed in the Library.

Departmental Publications

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many  (a) young adults with disabilities, including learning disabilities and  (b) other people he consulted in the preparation of his Department's Green Paper, Shaping the future of care together, Cm 7673.

Phil Hope: The 'Care Support Independence' engagement process took place between May and November 2008 to give a cross-section of the public and key stakeholders the opportunity to debate the principles that should underpin the future of the care and support system for all adults.
	Over the course of the engagement, a total of 1,092 stakeholders and citizens attended 15 deliberative events held across all English regions. A further 97 people were interviewed either individually or in mini-groups. 1,449 separate communications were received through the dedicated website and by letter and email. Inclusivity research with 11 specific groups of citizens engaged in an appropriate and accessible way with people for whom the deliberative events might not be suitable. These included young adults and people with learning disabilities, physical impairments, those living in rural areas, Gypsies and Travellers, ex-offenders and people for whom English was not their first language.
	On publication of the Green Paper on 14 July 2009, a wide ranging consultation process was launched to encourage people to give their views on the proposals and join the Big Care Debate. This consultation closes on 13 November 2009.

Departmental Publications

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to his Department's Green Paper on Shaping the future of care together, Cm 7673, page 10, what estimate he has made of the cost of the proposed six week re-ablement plan; what steps he plans to take to  (a) promote telecare and  (b) make information available on prevention and early intervention as part of his proposals on the care and support system; and what estimate he has made of the cost of taking such steps.

Phil Hope: While re-ablement is, hour for hour, more expensive than home care, many people do not need an ongoing home care package after a few weeks of re-ablement. A re-ablement package would typically pay for itself if a re-ablement user continued not to need ongoing care for around five to seven months, where they would otherwise have required a typical care package.
	Using a high estimate that it would cost 1,000 per re-ablement package, we believe it would be possible to offer re-ablement to people leaving hospital who would qualify for care and support from the state for the first time, subject to future funding decisions.
	The consultation on the Green Paper will last until 13 November 2009. Once the consultation has been completed, these responses will be used to inform and finalise our proposals, including those on the promotion of telecare and making information available about prevention and early intervention. We will then publish a White Paper on care and support in 2010.

Departmental Publications

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to his Department's Green Paper, Shaping the future of care together, Cm 7673, page 17, what estimate he has made of the level of personal cost at which paying for care is fundamentally unfair.

Phil Hope: No estimate has been made of the level of personal cost at which paying for costs is fundamentally unfair since this is likely to differ from one individual to another. However, the Government believe that a system which leaves everyone to pay for themselves with no state supportwhat is called in the Green Paper the Pay for Yourself optionwould be fundamentally unfair because:
	Care would be unaffordable for many people. Many people would not be able to afford the costs of private insurance. For those without insurance, the costs of care can be very high: someone who develops dementia could need 10 years of high-level, skilled care in a residential care home, which could carry a price tag of over250,000;
	This option would have a large negative impact on people on low incomes and with high levels of need, as the group of people who would previously have been eligible for state support and also who are unable to afford the costs of care or insurance themselves; and
	Those individuals unable to afford the cost of care would be left without the care they need. This could result in high levels of unmet need in the future, or pressure on friends/families to provide informal care.

Departmental Recycling

Stewart Hosie: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what proportion of his Department's waste was recycled in the latest period for which figures are available.

Phil Hope: For 2008-09, 83.47 per cent. of the Department's waste was recycled.
	The information covers the Department's central administrative estate of Richmond House, Wellington House and Skipton House. The Department is a minor occupier in New Kings Beam House (HM Revenue and Customs) and Quarry House in Leeds (Department for Work and Pensions) and the data for these sites is reported by them.

Departmental Sick Leave

Justine Greening: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many sick days were taken by staff of his Department in each of the last five years; and what the cost to the public purse of these absences was.

Phil Hope: The following table presents the average working days lost per person in the Department for the years available and the associated cost estimates for sickness. The cost estimates for 2007-08 and 2008-09 are not available.
	
		
			   Average working days lost per person  Cost estimate ( million) 
			 2008-09 5.6 n/a 
			 2007-08 5.3 n/a 
			 2006-07 6.5 2.1 
			 2005 7.0 2.2 
			 2004 3.8 5.3 
			 n/a = not available  Note: Cost estimates given are based on information published in the annual civil service sickness absence reports, available on the Cabinet Office website. 
		
	
	The figure for 2004 includes both the core Department and its Agencies: the Medicines and Healthcare Regulatory Agency and the NHS Purchasing and Supply Agency.
	Reporting periods changed from calendar years to financial years between 2005 and 2006.

Departmental Travel

Justine Greening: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much his Department spent on  (a) car hire,  (b) air travel,  (c) hotels and  (d) restaurant meals for (i) Ministers and (ii) staff of his Department in each of the last five years.

Phil Hope: Travel by Ministers and civil servants is undertaken in accordance with the Ministerial Code and the Civil Service Management Code respectively and all expenditure on air and rail travel has to be incurred in accordance with the principles of Managing Public Money and the Treasury handbook on Regularity and Propriety.
	The amount spent on these expenses is not easily available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
	The Cabinet Office publishes an annual list of overseas visits made by Cabinet Ministers costing in excess of 500 dating from 1997 onwards. Details on all Health Ministers overseas travel for 2008-09 can be found on the Cabinet Office website.
	www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/propriety_and_ethics/ministers/travel_gifts.aspx
	Details of business expenses and hospitality received by departmental senior officials on a quarterly basis will be published in October 2009.

Electromagnetic Fields: Health Hazards

Nick Hurd: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent advice he has received on the possible relationship between incidence of childhood leukaemia and exposure to extremely low frequency electrical and magnetic fields; and if he will make a statement.

Gillian Merron: The Department has received advice from the Stakeholder Advisory Group on Extremely Low Frequency Electromagnetic Fields (SAGE). SAGE is a group of stakeholders representing sectors engaged with electricity transmission, regulation, property valuation, academic research and public concern campaigning. The remit of SAGE is to explore the implications for a precautionary approach to extremely low frequency electric and magnetic fields (ELF/EMF) and to make practical recommendations to Government. SAGE's First Interim Assessment: Power Lines and Property, Wiring in Homes and Electrical Equipment in Homes considered two sources of EMF: high voltage overhead power lines and electrical wiring and equipment inside the home and was published in April 2007.
	The Health Protection Agency (HPA) advised Government on the SAGE First Interim Assessment in October 2007. The HPA's advice is available at:
	www.hpa.org.uk/webw/HPAwebHPAwebStandard/HPAweb_C/1204276682532?p=1207897920036.
	The reply from the former Minister of State can be found at:
	www.dh.gov.uk/en/Publichealth/Healthprotection/DH_4089500.
	I will be issuing a written statement on the Government's response to the SAGE First Interim Assessment very shortly on behalf of myself and my hon. Friends the Minister of State at the Department of Energy and Climate Change (Lord Hunt of Kings Heath), and the Under-Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government (Mr. Austin).

Epilepsy

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what information his Department has on levels of misdiagnosis of epilepsy in  (a) the general population and  (b) the prison population;
	(2)  what information his Department has on the number of people with epilepsy who have been diagnosed by an epilepsy specialist in  (a) the general population and  (b) the prison population.

Ann Keen: Information on the number of people diagnosed by an epilepsy specialist is not collected centrally.
	Information on the level of misdiagnosis for epilepsy is not collected.
	In July, I wrote to all strategic health authorities drawing their attention to the report Epilepsy in England: Time for Change, which was published by Epilepsy Action earlier this year. In my letter, I also reinforced the importance of implementing the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence's guidance and the National Service Framework for Long-term neurological Conditions in delivering high quality, accessible services for those living with epilepsy.

Epilepsy

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what information his Department has on the number of people with epilepsy who have had a medical review in the last 12 months in  (a) the general population and  (b) the prison population;
	(2)  what information his Department has on the number of people with epilepsy who have uncontrolled seizures in  (a) the general population and  (b) the prison population.

Ann Keen: Information on the number of people with epilepsy who have uncontrolled seizures is not collected.
	Information on the number of people with epilepsy who have had a medical review in the last 12 months is not collected.
	In July, I wrote to all strategic health authorities drawing their attention to the report Epilepsy in England: Time for Change, which was published by Epilepsy Action earlier this year. In my letter, I also reinforced the importance of implementing the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence's guidance and the National Service Framework for Long-term neurological Conditions in delivering high quality, accessible services for those living with epilepsy.

Epilepsy: Offenders

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what information his Department has on levels of incorrect prescription of medication for people with epilepsy in  (a) the general population and  (b) the prison population.

Ann Keen: Information on incorrect prescribing of medication for those with epilepsy is not collected.
	In July, I wrote to all strategic health authorities drawing their attention to the report Epilepsy in England: Time for Change, which was published by Epilepsy Action earlier this year. In my letter, I also reinforced the importance of implementing the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence's guidance and the National Service Framework for Long-term neurological Conditions in delivering high quality, accessible services for those living with epilepsy.

General Practitioners

Michael Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many GP practices in  (a) Hertfordshire and  (b) England are closed at lunchtimes on weekdays.

Mike O'Brien: Information on general practitioner practices' opening hours is not collected centrally. Practices are required to include in their practice leaflets the opening hours of practice premises and the method of obtaining access to services throughout core hours. Practices can also place this information on the NHS Choices website.

Genetics

David Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what funding his Department has provided for translations research on single-gene disorders since the publication of the Genetics White Paper in 2003.

Gillian Merron: The information requested is shown in the following table.
	
		
			  Actual and planned expenditure on single gene disorder (SGD) research: 2003-14 
			  Departmental funding stream  Start date  End date  Expenditure to date ( million)  Planned expenditure ( million) 
			 Genetics White Paper: gene therapy research programme 2004 2010 3  
			  
			 National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Biomedical Research Centres 2007 2009 2.3 n/a 
			  
			 NIHR Collaborations for Leadership in Applied Health Research Care 2007 2010  0.05 
			  
			 NIHR Health Technology Assessment 2005 2013 1.4 1.8 
			  
			 NIHR New and Emerging Applications of Technology 2006 2009 0.3  
			  
			 NIHR Programme Grants for Applied Research 2009 2014  2 
			  
			 NIHR Research for Patient Benefit 2010 2012  0.2 
			  
			 Policy Research Programme 2006 2010  (1)5.8 
			 n/a = not available (1) This figure includes the total funding allocated by the Department to the National Perinatal Epidemiology Unit. Only one of the Unit's five work streams is relevant to SGD but we do not have the means separately to identify the cost of that work stream.  Note: Planned expenditure figures are a snapshot of the position at September 2009. Actual expenditure in future years will depend on a number of presently unknown factors, including the possible allocation of funds to new studies. 
		
	
	The NIHR Clinical Research Network is additionally providing national health service research infrastructure support to 16 SGD-related studies.
	The Medical Research Council (MRC) also invests in genomic research and genomic medicine. The MRC receives its grant in aid from the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills.

Health Visitors

Maria Miller: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many and what proportion of health visitors were from black and minority ethnic groups in each year since 1997.

Ann Keen: The numbers are given in the following table.
	
		
			  NHS hospital and community health services: Health visitors in England by ethnic group as at 30 September each specified year 
			   Old ethnic codes 
			   White  Black  Asian  Other  Unknown 
			 1997 9,802 535 155 443 1,475 
			 1998 10,184 601 178 278 1,331 
			 1999 10,511 624 208 268 1,216 
			 2000 10,511 624 208 268 1,216 
			 2001 6,754 391 147 134 512 
			 2002 3,929 154 49 79 317 
			 2003 2,381 149 32 38 112 
			 2004 348 14 5 4 13 
			 2005 214 80 4 5 10 
			 2006 108 29 7 1 16 
			 2007(2) 32 14 7 0 8 
			 2008 23 11 4 0 4 
		
	
	
		
			   New ethnic codes  
			   White  Mixed  Asian or Asian British  Black or black British  Chinese  Other  Unknown  Total ethnic minority groups( 1) (%)  All groups 
			 199710.4 12,410 
			 19989.4 12,572 
			 199910.2 12,800 
			 20009.5 12,827 
			 2001 3,750 16 53 224 28 45 999 9.0% 13,053 
			 2002 6,390 41 157 339 53 48 1,218 8.2% 12,774 
			 2003 8,229 55 119 467 64 57 1,281 8.5% 12,984 
			 2004 10,680 75 170 699 79 86 1,130 9.3% 13,303 
			 2005 10,579 72 170 685 76 74 849 9.7% 12,818 
			 2006 10,027 81 164 705 73 70 753 10.0% 12,034 
			 2007(2) 9,449 70 169 983 71 59 707 12.6% 11,569 
			 2008 9,156 68 178 728 68 57 893 10.8% 11,190 
			 (1) Unknown includes unstated and unrecorded ethnic group. The ethnic group of all bank staff is not recorded. (2) We are aware of the apparent increase in the numbers of black/black British health visitors in 2007 then subsequent decrease in 2008. We have analysed this data from a number of different perspectives and have concluded that there is not a single cause for this. Data is now extracted from Electronic Staff Record and this has improved on data quality from previous years. Percentages are calculated on the numbers of staff whose ethnic group is known.  Source: The NHS Information Centre for health and social care Non-Medical Workforce census.

Home Care Services

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what percentage of home help contact hours in each region were provided by  (a) council authorities and  (b) the independent sector according to the results of his Department's home help returns in the latest period for which figures are available;
	(2)  if he will publish the results of the 2008 home help returns for each  (a) region,  (b) shire county,  (c) unitary authority and  (d) metropolitan district.

Phil Hope: Information on the number of people receiving home care/home help services during a sample week in September each year is collected on the HHl return and published by the NHS Information Centre for health and social care.
	The following table shows the percentage of home help contact hours in each region provided by councils with adult social services responsibilities (CASSRs) and the independent sector during the sample week in September 2008.
	
		
			   Hours provided  Percentage of hours 
			 Region  All sectors  CASSR  Independent 
			 North East 242,300 18.7 81.3 
			 North West 848,900 21.9 78.1 
			 Yorkshire and The Humber 391,300 30.4 69.6 
			 East Midlands 352,900 22.2 77.8 
			 West Midlands 426,200 17.8 82.2 
			 South West 352,000 19.6 80.4 
			 Eastern 442,800 14.6 85.4 
			 London 506,700 11.9 88.1 
			 South East 519,800 12.6 87.4 
			 England 4,082,900 18.7 81.3 
			  Source:  HHl return, table 1.1. 
		
	
	The full HHl data for 2008the latest availablehas been published and is available on the NHS Information Centre website at:
	www.ic.nhs.uk/statistics-and-data-collections/social-care/adult-social-care-information/community-care-statistics-2008:-help-care-services-for-adults-england
	A copy has been placed in the Library.

Hospital Wards

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what data NHS trusts are required to collect to monitor levels of  (a) use of mixed-sex accommodation and  (b) standards of privacy and dignity provided for patients.

Phil Hope: Annually, the national adult in-patient survey conducted by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) is used to measure patient experience relating to mixed sex accommodation and privacy and dignity. Nationally, there is no requirement to monitor occurrences of mixed sex accommodation.
	The 2009-10 NHS Standard Contract for Acute Hospital Services states:
	The Provider shall have a Mixed Sex Accommodation Reduction Plan, and shall comply with its obligations under that plan.
	The definition of such a plan is:
	The plan agreed in accordance with the Law and Guidance between the provider and the co-ordinating commissioner which sets out obligations, timescales and performance monitoring mechanisms to deliver substantial reductions in the number of patients sharing with members of the opposite sex sleeping or sanitary accommodation owned or controlled by the provider or a sub-contractor.
	Because the Department is committed to keep patient experience at the heart of delivery, ahead of the next (2009) CQC annual in-patient survey outcome, it is currently exploring with strategic health authorities, arrangements that would provide indications of progress by the local national health service in delivering same-sex accommodation.

Hospitals: Energy

David Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what recent estimate he has made of the number of A-rated circulator pumps which are installed in NHS hospitals;
	(2)  what energy efficiency standards his Department has stipulated for circulator pumps in its guidance on private finance initiative projects.

Mike O'Brien: The Department does not collect data centrally on the number of A-rated circulator pumps installed in national health service hospitals in England.
	All capital development schemes, whether private finance initiative or publicly funded projects, are expected to comply with energy efficiency standards of 35 to 55 gigajoules per one hundred metres squared (Gj/100m(2)), and also with BREEAM Healthcare requirements (Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method) to ensure healthcare facilities are constructed with sustainability and energy efficiency in mind. The Department provides guidance to assist the NHS and their partners in meeting this criteria.
	This information is contained in the guidance document Health Technical Memorandum 07-02: Encodemaking energy work in healthcare, a copy of which has been placed in the Library, and which provides general energy efficiency standards within healthcare facilities. This guidance covers new build and refurbishment as well as the energy management of existing operational facilities and provides advice about pumps, fans and boilers. Capital project teams will make their own decisions about specific items of equipment, such as circulator pumps, to ensure they are appropriate to meet the needs, circumstances and efficiency of their particular schemes.

Incontinence

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many universities offer  (a) pre- and  (b) post-registration courses for nurses on continence education and training.

Phil Hope: This information is not collected centrally. For pre-registration education, the United Kingdom regulatory body, the Nursing and Midwifery Council, sets Standards of Proficiency for all nursing courses. Although continence is not identified separately, its management is implicit within several of the essential nursing skills which are required to be demonstrated.
	Post-registration training is the responsibility of employers, who are best placed to understand the roles and responsibilitiesand hence the training needsof their staff. Specific post-registration training courses in continence and continence care are available and these are accessed according to local need.

Infant Mortality

David Crausby: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the most common cause of infant mortality is.

Angela Smith: I have been asked to reply.
	The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked them to reply.
	 Letter from Jil Matheson, dated September 2009:
	As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your recent question asking what the most common cause of infant mortality is. (291646)
	Infant mortality is defined as death under one year after live birth, and can be divided into neonatal deaths (less than 28. days after live birth) and postneonatal deaths (28 days but under one year). In England and Wales, neonatal deaths are registered using a special perinatal death certificate which enables reporting of relevant diseases or conditions in both the infant and the mother. For postneonatal deaths, a single underlying cause of death can be reported as for adults. ONS has developed a classification system producing broad cause groups to enable direct comparison of neonatal and postneonatal deaths.
	Using this ONS classification, the most common cause of infant deaths is 'Immaturity related conditions'. This includes certain respiratory, cardiovascular and other conditions related primarily to the prematurity or low birthweight of the infant. In 2007 (the latest year for which figures are available), there were 1,346 infant deaths coded to 'Immaturity related conditions', 42 per cent of all infant deaths in England and Wales in that year.

Liver Diseases

Shailesh Vara: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how many patients were admitted to each hospital in the East of England as a consequence of  (a) alcoholic liver disease and  (b) cirrhosis of the liver in each of the last 10 years;
	(2)  how many patients were admitted to hospital as a consequence of  (a) alcoholic liver disease and  (b) cirrhosis of the liver in each of the last 10 years.

Gillian Merron: Data on the number of patients admitted for alcoholic liver disease and cirrhosis of the liver for the last 10 years to each hospital in the East of England are not available. However, the following tables provide the number of admissions to hospital for alcoholic liver disease and cirrhosis of the liver for the last 10 years in England and for each hospital provider for the East of England strategic health authority.
	When considering this data, it is important to note the following:
	that data for 2008-09 is provisional;
	to protect patient confidentiality, figures between 1 and 5 have been suppressed and replaced with * (an asterisk) and where it was possible to identify numbers from the total due to a single suppressed number in a row or column, an additional number (the next smallest) has been also been suppressed;
	that admissions do not represent the number of in-patients, as a person may have more than one admission within the year; and
	K70, the ICD-10 code for alcoholic liver disease, was used to identify admissions due to alcoholic liver disease, while K70.3, K71.7, K74.3-K74.6 and A52.7 with K77.0 were the ICD-10 codes used to identify admissions due to cirrhosis of the liver.
	Table 1: Number of finished admission episodes for alcoholic liver disease and cirrhosis of the liver for 1999-2000 to 2008-09 for each hospital provider for the East of England strategic health authority has been placed in the Library.
	
		
			  Table 2: Number of finished admission episodes for alcoholic liver disease and cirrhosis of the liver in England for 1999-2000 to 2008-09 
			   Admission  for alcoholic liver disease  Admission for cirrhosis of the liver 
			 2008-09(1) 14,239 8,773 
			 2007-08 14,461 8,549 
			 2006-07 14,668 8,511 
			 2005-06 13,930 7,834 
			 2004-05 13,201 6,979 
			 2003-04 12,336 6,482 
			 2002-03 11,560 6,056 
			 2001-02 10,802 5,859 
			 2000-01 10,311 5,655 
			 1999-2000 10,098 5,716 
			 (1) Provisional data.  Notes: 1.  Finished admission episodes: A finished admission episode is the first period of in-patient care under one consultant within one health care provider. Finished admission episodes are counted against the year in which the admission episode finishes. Please note that admissions do not represent the number of in-patients, as a person may have more than one admission within the year. 2.  Primary diagnosis: The primary diagnosis is the first of up to 20 (14 from 2002-03 to 2006-07 and seven prior to 2002-03) diagnosis fields in the Hospital Episode Statistics (HES) data set and provides the main reason why the patient was admitted to hospital. 3.  Provisional data: The 2008-09 data is provisional and may be incomplete or contain errors for which no adjustments have yet been made. Counts produced from provisional data are likely to be lower than those generated for the same period in the final dataset. This shortfall will be most pronounced in the final month of the latest period i.e. November from the (month 9) April to November extract. It is also probable that clinical data are not complete, which may in particular affect the last two months of any given period. There may also be a variety of errors due to coding inconsistencies that have not yet been investigated and corrected. 4.  Secondary diagnosis: As well as the primary diagnosis, there are up to 19 (13 from 2002-03 to 2006-07 and six prior to 2002-03) secondary diagnosis fields in HES that show other diagnoses relevant to the episode of care. 5.  Data quality: HES are compiled from data sent by more than 300 NHS trusts and primary care trusts in England. Data is also received from a number of independent sector organisations for activity commissioned by the English NHS. The NHS Information Centre for health and social care liaises closely with these organisations to encourage submission of complete and valid data and seeks to minimise inaccuracies and the effect of missing and invalid data via HES processes. While this brings about improvement over time, some shortcomings remain. 6 . Assessing growth through time: HES figures are available from 1989-90 onwards. The quality and coverage of the data have improved over time. These improvements in information submitted by the NHS have been particularly marked in the earlier years and need to be borne in mind when analysing time series. Some of the increase in figures for later years (particularly 2006-07 onwards) may be due to the improvement in the coverage of independent sector activity. Changes in NHS practice also need to be borne in mind when analysing time series. For example, a number of procedures may now be undertaken in out-patient settings and may no longer be accounted for in the HES data. This may account for any reductions in activity over time.  Source: Hospital Episode Statistics (HES), the NHS Information Centre for health and social care.

Maternity Services

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much was spent on NHS maternity services in  (a) the Vale of York,  (b) North Yorkshire and  (c) England in (i) 2005, (ii) 2006, (iii) 2007 and (iv) 2008.

Phil Hope: Information is not collected in the format requested. In the following table we show information on maternity expenditure by the primary care trusts (PCT) that cover the York and North Yorkshire area. In 2006-07, the Selby and York, Hambleton and Richmond, Craven, Harrowgate and Rural District, Scarborough, Whitby and Ryedale PCTs amalgamated to form the North Yorkshire and York PCT.
	
		
			  Purchase of secondary health carematernity services 2004-05 to 2007-08 
			  000 
			   2004-05  2005-06  2006-07  2007-08 
			 North Yorkshire and York PCT   22,434 27,100 
			 Selby and York PCT 5,228 5,562   
			 Hambleton and Richmond PCT 3,241 3,195   
			 Craven, Harrowgate and Rural District PCT 6,126 6,167   
			 Scarborough, Whitby and Ryedale PCT 1,341 1,450   
			 Total 15,936 16,374 22,434 27,100 
			  
			 England 1,544,838 1,677,204 1,616,777 1,786,896 
			  Note: Where possible any inter PCT expenditure is eliminated to avoid double counting in the England figures.  Source: Primary care trust audited summarisation schedules

Mental Health Services

Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what systems are in place to address non-adherence to treatment or medication amongst mental health service users; and what information his Department holds on the number of mental health services where these systems are applied;
	(2)  how many serious untoward incidents where treatment or medication adherence was a contributing factor there have been in the last 12 months.

Phil Hope: The information requested about serious untoward incidents and treatment or medication adherence is not held centrally.
	There are no national systems in place that are specific to addressing non-adherence to treatment or medication. However, non-adherence is a key issue in mental health risk assessment and as such should, where appropriate, form part of a service user's care plan. The introduction of supervised community treatment helps to ensure that service users get the right treatment at the right time and will help with adherence.
	This represents a 52 per cent. decrease between the first quarter of 2006 and the first quarter of 2009.

Mental Health Services: Hertfordshire

Michael Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Health at what locations in Hertfordshire severely mentally impaired children may be treated; and what choice parents have about the location at which treatment is provided.

Phil Hope: It is for primary care trusts to commission services in order to ensure that Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) services are available to the children and young people for which they are responsible, taking into account the needs and wishes of the patients and their carers.
	The Department provided 2.5 million capital funding to enable Hertfordshire Partnership NHS Foundation Trust to recently refurbish a facility for children and young people being treated for mental health problems, specifically designed to eliminate the inappropriate use of adult psychiatric wards by children and young people.
	The East of England Strategic Health Authority has advised that on 17 September 2009 the 7 million redevelopment of Hertfordshire Primary Care Trust was officially re-opened. This newly expanded and upgraded unit will accommodate 16 young people (up to the age of 18); with several of the beds earmarked for young people with eating disorders. This extra capacity means the trust will be able to care for the most vulnerable young people who need in-patient care within the county, and in easy reach of their families.

Mental Health Services: Prisons

Anne Milton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he has taken to implement each of the recommendations of Lord Bradley's review of people with mental health problems or learning disabilities in the criminal justice system which were accepted by his Department.

Phil Hope: Lord Bradley made 82 recommendations, many of which Lord Bradley himself recognised needed further work to ensure that all implications are considered for children, young people and adults. The Government have accepted all recommendations and the direction set out in the report and has committed to publish a cross-departmental Health and Criminal Justice Strategic Delivery Plan by the end of October 2009.
	A Health and Criminal Justice National Programme Board has been fully operational since June 2009 bringing together senior officials in the key departments (Department of Health, Ministry of Justice, Home Office, Department for Children, Schools and Families). The Programme Board has been meeting monthly to pull together the national delivery plan and ensure appropriate cross-government representation and engagement as actions are being developed.
	The Delivery Plan will set out our shared vision for improving health and social care services for all those in touch with the criminal justice system and the newly established Health and Criminal Justice Programme Board are working hard to ensure that all the Bradley recommendations are fully incorporated into this cross-government plan.

Mental Health Services: Prisons

Anne Milton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the number of prisoners with acute, severe mental illnesses who have waited more than 14 days for transfer to an appropriate healthcare setting in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement.

Phil Hope: National data on prison transfers for the current 12-week waiting standard is collected on a quarterly basis with transfer rates compared against a 2005-06 baseline. The data indicates a downward trend in prisoners waiting in excess of 12-weeks for transfers; since 2005-06, these numbers have reduced by 33 per cent.
	
		
			  Prisoners waiting longer than 12 weeks for mental health transfer 
			  Date  Number of prisoners 
			 AprilJune 2005 62 
			 September 2005 58 
			 OctoberDecember 2005 40 
			 JanuaryMarch 2006 43 
			 AprilJune 2006 44 
			 JulySeptember 2006 43 
			 OctoberDecember 2006 38 
			 JanuaryMarch 2007 44 
			 AprilJune 2007 46 
			 JulySeptember 2007 51 
			 OctoberDecember 2007 41 
			 JanuaryMarch 2008 24 
			 AprilJune 2008 36 
			 JulySeptember 2008 34 
			 OctoberDecember 2008 26 
			 JanuaryMarch 2009 40 
			 AprilJune 2009 27

Mental Health Services: Prisons

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what the membership is of the National Programme Board responsible for developing a national approach to mental health and learning disability services for offenders;
	(2)  whether the Government has accepted in full the recommendation to establish a national advisory group, made in Lord Bradley's review of people with mental health problems or learning disabilities in the criminal justice system.

Phil Hope: The membership of the National Health and Criminal Justice Programme Board is as follows:
	
		
			  Name  Organisation 
			 David Behan Department of Health 
			 Anita Barucha HM Courts Service 
			 Andrew Campbell Department for Communities and Local Government 
			 Gary Cann Association of Chief Police Officers 
			 Helen Edwards Ministry of Justice 
			 Anne Jackson Department for Children, Schools and Families 
			 David Lamberti HM Treasury 
			 Peter Lewis Crown Prosecution Service 
			 Peter Makeham Home Office 
			 Ian Cumming West Midlands Strategic Health Authority 
			 Harvey Redgrave Prime Minister's Strategy Unit 
			 Phil Wheatley National Offender Management Service 
			 Naomi Eisenstadt Social Exclusion Unit 
			 Paul Williams NHS Wales 
			 To be confirmed Chair, Advisory Group 
		
	
	The Government have fully accepted Lord Bradley's recommendation that a National Advisory Group be established to support Ministers and the Health and Criminal Justice Programme Board in their development of this agenda. The cross-departmental National Health and Criminal Justice Programme Board has been fully operational since June 2009 and alongside officials, has been developing arrangements for the set up of the National Advisory Group. The membership of the National Advisory Group is currently being agreed by Ministers and will be confirmed shortly.

Mental Health Services: Prisons

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he has taken since the publication of Lord Bradley's review of people with mental health problems or learning disabilities in the criminal justice system to increase the rate of transfer of prisoners with severe mental illnesses from prison to secure hospital settings; and if he will make a statement.

Phil Hope: The Government recognise the importance of ensuring that prisoners with severe mental illness who require treatment in hospital have timely access to that treatment. The Government's response of 30 April 2009 to Lord Bradley's Report accepted in principle the direction in respect of 14-day prison transfers.
	The Government are considering the feasibility of introducing a 14-day transfer standard. A specific project to address prison transfers has been established, this is focusing on the provision of guidance and support to the national health service and Criminal Justice System to ensure transfers happen both smoothly and as quickly as possible. The Government will make a further report to Parliament in the autumn.

Mental Health Services: Young People

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many bed days were recorded for patients aged  (a) 16 and  (b) 17 years on adult psychiatric wards in each quarter of the last three years.

Phil Hope: It is not possible to disaggregate the figures for 16 and 17-year-olds but the following table gives the number of 16 to 17-year olds in England who were treated on adult psychiatric wards in each quarter for the past three years.
	
		
			   Quarter  Bed days16/17s on psychiatric adult ward 
			 2006-07 1 4,697 
			  2 4,780 
			  3 4.679 
			  4 4,511 
			 2007-08 1 3,954 
			  2 3,893 
			  3 4,255 
			  4 4,926 
			 2008-09 1 4.019 
			  2 3,713 
			  3 2,854 
			  4 3,101 
			 2009-10 1 2,260 
		
	
	This represents a 52 per cent. decrease between the first quarter of 2006 and the first quarter of 2009.

Mental Health: Prisoners

Anne Milton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the number of prisoners diagnosed with serious mental illnesses since July 2000; and if he will make a statement.

Phil Hope: Although there are no officially recognised data on prisoners with severe mental illness, we are aware that there is a significant number of people in custody suffering from serious mental illness. A review of mental health in reach teams for the National Institute for Health Research in 2008 suggested that around 23 per cent., of the prison population suffer from severe mental illness.
	The Government will be publishing its response to Lord Bradley's review of people with mental health problems and learning disabilities in the criminal justice system in the autumn as part of a wider ranging offender health strategic delivery plan. This response will include the Government's plans for improving mental health care for prisoners.

Methadone: Prisoners

Ben Wallace: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what consultations took place on the introduction of methadone prescriptions for prisoners.

Phil Hope: Since at least 1995 methadone has been recommended as one of a number of possible treatments for the management of drug dependence in prison.
	The current clinical guidelines are Clinical Management of Drug Dependence in the Adult Prison Setting which was published in December 2006, a copy of which has been placed in the Library. The document aimed to address the current challenges facing the care and treatment of substance misusers in prisons including: the need to provide clinical interventions that harmonise with practice in community and other criminal justice settings and meet the individuals need and address the vulnerability of drug-using prisoners to suicide and self-harm in prison, and to death upon release from custody due to accidental opiate overdose.
	The document was developed in consultation with key Government Departments, professional organisations, commissioning organisations and service providers including:
	HM Prison Service;
	Department of Health;
	Home Office;
	National Treatment Agency;
	National Addiction Centre;
	National Offender Management Service Drug Strategy Unit;
	Prison Officers Association;
	Royal College of Psychiatrists; and
	Royal College of General Practitioners.
	The 2007 Drug Misuse and Dependence: UK guidelines on clinical management a copy of which has already been placed in the Library, contains specific information on the clinical management of drug dependence in prisons as a specific setting and are in line with the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) guidelines Drug misuse: psychosocial interventions (NICE clinical guideline 51) and Drug misuse: opioid detoxification (NICE clinical guideline 52).

Midwives: Manpower

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many midwives were employed in the National Health Service in  (a) the Vale of York,  (b) North Yorkshire and  (c) England in (i) 2005, (ii) 2006, (iii) 2007 and (iv) 2008.

Phil Hope: The numbers of midwives employed in the national health service in York Hospitals NHS Trust, North Yorkshire Primary Care Trusts and NHS Trusts, and England in 2005-2008 are shown in the following table:
	
		
			  NHS hospital and community health services: Midwives in England, Yorkshire and the Humber Strategic Health Authority and North Yorkshire Primary Care Trusts and NHS Trusts 
			  Headcount as at 30 September each specified year 
			   2005  2006  2007  2008 
			 England 24,808 24,469 25,093 25,664 
			  
			 Yorkshire and the Humber Strategic Health Authority 2,539 2,445 2,449 2,472 
			  
			 Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust 62 65 70 71 
			 Scarborough and North East Yorkshire Health Care NHS Trust 74 76 75 71 
			 Scarborough, Whitby and Ryedale PCT 1
			 York Hospitals NHS Trust 129 125 131 130 
			  Source: The NHS Information Centre for health and social care Non-Medical Workforce census.

MMR Vaccine

Maria Miller: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many and what proportion of children under the age of five years received two doses of MMR vaccine in each quarter of the last 10 years.

Gillian Merron: The Health Protection Agency collect and publish quarterly provisional data on the proportion of the population who are vaccinated at five years of age with a second dose of measles, mumps and rubella (MMR).
	
		
			  Percentage of five year olds (England) who have received two doses of MMR 
			   Quarter 1  Quarter 2  Quarter 3  Quarter 4 
			 1999-2000 77.5 77.1 75.6 75.7 
			 2000-01 74.5 73.9 74.7 75.5 
			 2001-02 73.8 73.0 73.6 73.8 
			 2002-03 74.3 74.4 73.7 73.9 
			 2003-04 75.0 75.1 75.6 75.1 
			 2004-05 74.4 73.5 72.9 73.9 
			 2005-06(1) 74.5 n/a n/a n/a 
			 2006-07(1) n/a 72.9 73.0 73.2 
			 2007-08 73.5 73.1 72.8 74.3 
			 2008-09 75.2 76.3 77.4 80.0 
			 (1 )2005-06last three quarters and 2006-07 first quarternational data not estimated due to missing data for 10 of the 31 London primary care trusts (PCTs) due to problems relating to the implementation of new child health IT system. Coverage estimates are always significantly lower in London compared to all other regions in England therefore to calculate an England estimate without these PCTs would have given a spurious increase in coverage.

Muscular Dystrophy

David Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will include in the forthcoming Health White Paper proposals for ring-fenced funding for Duchenne muscular dystrophy research and clinical trials.

Gillian Merron: There are no plans to change the usual practice of the Department's National Institute for Health Research and of the Medical Research Council, not to ring-fence funds for expenditure on particular topics: research proposals in all areas compete for the funding available. Future levels of expenditure on Duchenne muscular dystrophy research will be determined by the success of relevant bids for funding.

Muscular Dystrophy: Continuing Care

David Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has for the provision of continuing care for people with  (a) Duchenne muscular dystrophy and  (b) other single-gene disorders.

Phil Hope: A revised National Framework for NHS Continuing Healthcare and NHS-funded Nursing Care was published in August 2009. This framework covers those with Duchenne's muscular dystrophy and other single-gene disorders as the eligibility criteria for continuing care is not disease specific. A copy of the framework has been placed in the Library.

National School for Social Care Research

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what research the National School for Social Care Research has  (a) undertaken and  (b) published since its establishment; and what research projects are ongoing at that school.

Gillian Merron: The National Institute of Health Research's School for Social Care Research became operational on 1 April 2009 and published its first call for research proposals in July. The school has begun a small number of preliminary studies, but none has reached the publication stage.
	More information about the school and its research activities can be found on-line at:
	www.lse.ac.uk/collections/NIHRSSCR/.

NHS: Complaints

David Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much funding his Department has provided to the Carers Federation to administer the Independent Complaints Advocacy Service in the East Midlands in each year since the service was launched in September 2003.

Phil Hope: The Department's current contract with The Carers Federation started in April 2006. A yearly breakdown of funding from the Department to the Carers Federation to administer the independent complaints advocacy service in the East Midlands from September 2003 as follows:
	
		
			  Financial year  Amount paid () 
			 2003-04 353,470 
			 2004-05 836,478 
			 2005-06 771,404 
			 2006-07 1,117,657 
			 2007-08 1,073,847 
			 2008-09 1,102,167

NHS: Correspondence

Jim Dowd: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent estimate he has made of the annual cost to NHS hospitals of complying with his Department's copying letters policy; and what proportion of NHS patients chose to opt out of the policy.

Phil Hope: The Department does not collect information on the annual cost of copying letters to patients or on the numbers of patients that choose to opt-out of receiving copies of their letters.

NHS: Negligence

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the highest ratio of claimant costs to legal costs in cases involving the NHS litigation authority in respect of which legal proceedings have been completed was in each of the last five years; and how much was spent on  (a) claimant costs and  (b) damages in total in relation to such cases in which claimant costs exceeded damages in each of those years.

Phil Hope: The NHS Litigation Authority does not record data specifically on legal costs, but records global costs paid by defendants and claimants, which will include legal costs, medical expert witnesses and other disbursements. To provide data specifically on legal costs would be at disproportionate cost.
	The NHS Litigation Authority has provided data in the following tables that cover overall claimant costs and damages as an alternative to the information requested.
	
		
			  Table 1: Top highest claimant costs to damages ratio for clinical negligence claims in each of the last five years where legal proceedings were completed in those years 
			  Year of closure  Damages paid ()  Claimant costs paid ()  Proportion of costs to damages (percentage) 
			 2004-05 3,000.00 34,000.00 1133 
			 2005-06 1,750.00 102,334.00 5848 
			 2006-07 5,000.00 101,082.85 2022 
			 2007-08 2,500.00 62,500.00 2500 
			 2008-09 1,000.00 10,500.00 1050 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 2: Damages and claimant costs paid on all closed clinical negligence claims where the claimant costs exceeded the damages by year of closure 
			  Year of closure  Damages paid ()  Claimant costs paid () 
			 2004-05 9,824,545 17,135,815 
			 2005-06 10,946,714 19,786,927 
			 2006-07 11,852,076 20,681,500 
			 2007-08 18,309,285 31,968,752 
			 2008-09 16,923,244 31,569,368 
			 Total 67,855,864 121,142,363

NHS: Pay

Michael Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 6 July 2009,  Official Report, column 583-84W, on staff pay, how many staff received a salary of more than 100,000 in current prices in each year; and how many staff were receiving a salary of more than 100,000 on 1 April 2009.

Phil Hope: The number of the Department's staff receiving a salary of more than 100,000 in each year, expressed in prices as at 1 April 2009, is presented in the following table.
	
		
			  In post date as at 1 April each year  Number of staff 
			 2008 76 
			 2007 83 
			 2006 89 
			 2005 96 
			 2004 99 
			 2003 105 
		
	
	Salaries have been recalculated based on the changes in the consumer price index (CPI), averaged over the whole of each year and include all pay-related allowances.
	Information prior to 2003 is not held centrally and can only be obtained at disproportionate cost as recalculation before that date would involve searching individual paper files.
	The number of staff receiving a salary of more than 100,000 on 1 April 2009 was 74.

NHS: Pay

Michael Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for South Cambridgeshire of 6 July 2009,  Official Report, column 583W, on departmental pay, how many staff  (a) received a salary of more than 100,00 in each year since 1997, expressed in 2009 prices and  (b) were earning more than 100,000 on 1 April 2009.

Phil Hope: The number of the Department's staff receiving a salary of more than 100,000 in each year, expressed in prices as at 1 April 2009, is presented in the following table.
	
		
			  In post date  Number of staff 
			 1 April 2008 76 
			 1 April 2007 83 
			 1 April 2006 89 
			 1 April 2005 96 
			 1 April 2004 99 
			 1 April 2003 105 
		
	
	Salaries have been recalculated based on the changes in the Consumer Price Index (CPI), averaged over the whole of each year and include all pay-related allowances.
	Information prior to 2003 is not held centrally and can be obtained only at disproportionate cost as recalculation before that date would involve searching individual paper files.
	The number of staff receiving a salary of more than 100,000 on 1 April 2009 was 74.

NHS: Pay

Margaret Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what the percentage change in salary of each board member of each NHS  (a) trust and  (b) foundation was in each year since 2001;
	(2)  what  (a) pay and  (b) other benefits each board member of each NHS (i) trust and (ii) foundation has received in each year since 2001.

Phil Hope: This information is not collected centrally. National health service trusts and NHS foundation trusts are public bodies, and the remuneration of their senior executive teams is a matter of public record and published in their annual accounts.
	NHS trusts and foundation trusts have full responsibility for determining the rates of remuneration for their senior executive board members. Foundation trusts have full responsibility for determining the remuneration of their non-executive directors (that is, of their board members).
	Pay rates for non-executive board members in NHS trusts are set centrally by the Department. The rates for all years since 2001-02 are as follows:
	
		
			   Chairscale minimum  Chairscale maximum  Non-executive director  Percentage increase 
			 2001-02 16,017 20,420 5,294 n/a 
			 2002-03 16,017 20,420 5,294 0 
			 2003-04 16,827 21,453 5,562 5.1 
			 2004-05 17,164 21,882 5,673 2.0 
			 2005-06 17,164 21,882 5,673 0 
			 2006-07 (from 1 April 2006) 17,335 22,100 5,730 1.0 
			 2006-07 (from 1 November 2006) 17,545 22,235 5,800 1.2 
			 2007-08 17,773 22,524 5,875 1.3 
			 2008-09 18,164 23,020 6,005 2.2 
			 2009-10 18,436 23,365 6,095 1.5

NHS: Per Capita Costs

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of per capita NHS spending in  (a) North Yorkshire,  (b) Yorkshire and the Humber and  (c) England in 2009-10.

Mike O'Brien: The following table shows the 2009-10 revenue allocations made to North Yorkshire and York Primary Care Trust (PCT), the sum of the allocations made to the PCTs within Yorkshire and Humber Strategic Health Authority (SHA) and the England total. Over 80 per cent. of national health service revenue funding was allocated directly to PCTs for 2009-10 in this way. The table also shows the 2009-10 allocation per head and the total responsible population that each of these areas covers.
	SHAs also receive funding, some of which is passed to PCTs. Yorkshire and Humber SHA received 703 million for 2009-10 or 133 per head of responsible population. PCTs also receive some funding through other, smaller, allocations.
	
		
			  2009-10 PCT revenue allocations 
			   2009-10 allocation (000)  2009-10 allocation per head ()  2009-10 responsible population( 1) 
			 North Yorkshire and York PCT 1,076,587 1,347 799,426 
			 Yorkshire and the Humber SHA(2) 8,120,633 1,532 5,301,734 
			 England 80,030,703 1,540 51,961,577 
			 (1) The responsible population is the number of people permanently registered with general practitioner (GP) practices within the PCT boundary, irrespective of where the people are resident. It also includes people not registered with a GP such as prisoners, armed forces including their dependants and asylum seekers. To reconcile 'list variation' between the GP registered population and Office for National Statistics (ONS) populations for PCTs, the GP registered populations were constrained to the 2006 based ONS population projections published on 12 June 2008. (2) SHAs do not receive allocations and the allocation shown here represents the sum of the allocations to PCTs within Yorkshire and the Humber SHA.

NHS: Procurement

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what medicines and patient services have been procured through a reverse e-auction in each of the last 48 months;
	(2)  what criteria the Purchasing and Supply Agency uses in deciding whether to use a reverse e-auction to procure medicines or services for patients;
	(3)  what guidance his Department has issued to the Purchasing and Supply Agency on the use of e-auctions.

Mike O'Brien: The NHS Purchasing and Supply Agency (NHS PASA) has undertaken one reverse e-auction in the last 12 months for water coolers. Information on what medicines and patient services procured through reverse e-auctions in the national health service is not collected centrally.
	The NHS PASA consider the following criteria before deciding on whether to undertake an e-auction:
	an accurate and unambiguous specification of the buyer's requirement to ensure that suppliers are clear on what is required, and are bidding against the same criteria. The regulations state that the specification must be established with precision. Where your requirements cannot be established with precision, or where some elements of your requirements are negotiable, it will not be appropriate to use an e Auction;
	a sufficient (proposed) spend to encourage competition and supplier participation;
	a large enough pool of suppliers to ensure competition during the e Auction (and a willingness and aptitude of such suppliers to participate in electronic biddingthis can be driven by spend or the strategic importance of the contract);
	availability of the goods/services - there should be no known market distortions such as shortages or surpluses as these may have an impact on e Auctions which is not beneficial to the buyer; and
	there must be a credible switching threat i.e. a willingness by stakeholders to switch to an alternative supplier if this is the result of the e Auction because any contract offer must be made to the winning tenderer.
	No guidance has been provided to NHS PASA regarding the use of e-auctions. NHS PASA led the way in the NHS on e Tendering, e Auctions and e Sourcing. As early as 2003-04 NHS PASA instigated a pilot project on the use of e auctions in the NHS. The e Auctions managed by the Agency delivered substantial savings and the NHS continues to benefits by the appropriate use of e auctions.

NHS: Telephone Services

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when the results of his Department's consultation on the use of 0845 telephone numbers by the NHS will be published.

Mike O'Brien: The results of the Department's public consultation on the use of 084 numbers in the national health service were announced on 14 September 2009. The Department's response to the consultation is available on the 'consultations' section of the Department's website at:
	www.dh.gov.uk/en/Consultations/Responsestoconsultations/index.htm
	A copy has been placed in the Library.

Paediatrics: Hospital Beds

Anne Milton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the likely effect of a swine influenza pandemic and normal winter trends in hospital admissions on the availability of paediatric beds.

Gillian Merron: We continue to base our planning work with the national health service for the H1N1 pandemic on independent expert advice. The latest assumptions that we published on 3 September, assume that 1 per cent. of people who become ill with H1N1 will require hospitalisation. This would be above normal winter levels of flu activity and all NHS organisations have been planning to handle this if necessary, for both adult and paediatric services.
	Measures that may be taken include the cancellation of out-patient services and elective admissions in order to free up staff and capacity to care for an increase in children admitted with H1N1.
	In April this year, the Department also published guidance on Managing Demand and Capacity in Health Care organisations (Surge). The document gives guidance on measures the NHS can take to handle the pressures it will face, including in providing paediatric care during a pandemic. A copy of the guidance has already been placed in the Library.
	To further support local planning, on 10 September, a strategy for critical care services was published that in part set out how the NHS would work to substantially increase availability of paediatric intensive care beds should this be required at the peak of the pandemic. A copy has been placed in the Library.

Prescriptions

Jim Dowd: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent reports he has received of the prevalence of the automatic ordering of repeat prescriptions; and if he will take steps to end the practice.

Mike O'Brien: I am told that the Department has received one report of automatic ordering of repeat prescriptions by pharmacies. The terms of service of pharmacists (Schedule 1 of the National Health Service (Pharmaceutical Services) Regulations 2005) include a number of provisions relevant to this issue. For example, paragraph 10 (a) and (c) of the terms of service makes provision for pharmacists to ensure that appropriate advice is given to patients, in particular with regards to the request of repeatable prescriptions.
	This is supported by the Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain's (RPSGB) professional standards and guidance for patient consent, which makes clear that patients have a basic right to be involved in decisions about their health care and the process of obtaining consent is fundamental for patient autonomy. Obtaining consent is an on-going process and not a single event.
	It is for primary care trusts to take action in relation to any breach of pharmacists' terms of service and for the RPSGB to take action in relation to any breach of professional standards.

Primary Care Trusts: Hertfordshire

Michael Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what changes to the amount of funding allocated to primary care trusts in Hertfordshire there have been in the course of 2009-10; and what such changes he anticipates in the course of 2010-11.

Phil Hope: Revenue allocations are made to primary care trusts (PCTs) on the basis of the relative needs of the populations they serve. The following table provides the revenue allocations made to East and North Hertfordshire PCT and West Hertfordshire PCT for 2009-10 and 2010-11.
	No changes have been made to revenue allocations during the course of 2009-10. There are no plans to change the revenue allocations for 2010-11.
	
		
			  000 
			   Revenue allocation 
			  PCT  2009-10  2010-11 
			 East and North Hertfordshire PCT 759,311 803,338 
			 West Hertfordshire PCT 773,604 813,380

Primary Care Trusts: Hertfordshire

Michael Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Health which primary care trusts in Hertfordshire have a financial deficit against their budget for 2009-10; and how much the deficit is in each such case.

Phil Hope: Information published in the Director General for NHS Finance, Performance and Operations report The Quarter show that neither East and North Hertfordshire Primary Care Trust (PCT) nor West Hertfordshire PCT are forecasting a deficit in the 2009-10 financial year. The following table shows that both PCTs were forecasting a surplus.
	
		
			   2009-10 quarter 1 forecast outturn (000) 
			 East and North Hertfordshire PCT 2,855 
			 West Hertfordshire PCT 576 
		
	
	The 2009-10 and 2010-11 PCT revenue allocations represent 164 billion investment in the national health service, 80 billion in 2009-10 and 84 billion in 2010-11. PCTs received an average increase in funding of 5.5 per cent. in 2009-10 and will receive an average increase in funding of 5.5 per cent. in 2010-11, a total increase in funding of 8.6 billion.
	The following table provides the two year revenue allocations made to PCTs in Hertfordshire for 2009-10 and 2010-11 along with the cash and percentage increases. East and North Hertfordshire PCT will be 0.6 per cent. under target in 2010-11, West Hertfordshire PCT will be 5.3 per cent. above target in 2010-11.
	
		
			  PCT  2009-10 allocation (000)  2010-11 allocation (000)  Two-year cash increase (000)  Two-year cash increase (percentage) 
			 East and North Hertfordshire PCT 759,311 803,338 83,612 11.6 
			 West Hertfordshire PCT 773,604 813,380 78,190 10.6

Respiratory System

Stephen Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 20 April 2009,  Official Report, column 479W, on respiratory system, to how many patients in each age group the figures on  (a) hospital and  (b) admission episodes related in each case.

Phil Hope: The following table shows hospital episodes and admission episodes for diseases of the respiratory system by age group. Data has been provided for the hospitals referred to in the answer of 20 April 2009,  Official Report, column 479W.
	
		
			  Number of finished consultant episodes and finished admission episodes for di seases of the reparatory system( 1) , by provider, 2003-04 to 2007-08, activity in English NHS Hospitals and English NHS commissioned activity in the independent sector 
			Finished consultant episode  Finished admission episode 
			  Provider  Provider code age on admission  2007- 20 08  2006- 20 07  2005- 20 06  2004- 20 05  2003- 20 04  2007- 20 08  2006- 20 07  2005- 20 06  2004- 20 05  2003- 20 04 
			 England 0-4 166.834 158,687 160,414 145,440 151.275 159,767 152,598 155,488 140,894 146,920 
			  5-14 88,979 353,433 91,257 85,227 82,492 86,104 303,515 88,909 83,223 80,651 
			  15-44 371,268 407,415 331,310 294,025 266,354 319,752 311,264 285,875 255,202 233,088 
			  45-64 437,064 88,955 368,283 329,234 297,838 335,215 86,183 283,516 253,918 231,791 
			  65-74 384,229 364,437 337,372 311,341 288,567 270,674 256,448 238.312 220,632 205.615 
			  75-84 474,390 452,019 426,243 397,711 364,725 303,678 290,360 275,833 260,636 241,755 
			  85-120 268,279 242,555 224,093 195,762 179,883 156,279 144,382 135,189 120,915 113,351 
			  Age not known 2,963 1,699 1,184 1,213 1,479 2,139 1,206 866 930 1,148 
			 
			 Ashford and St. Peter's Hospitals NHS Trust RTK 0-4 745 639 597 631 585 744 639 596 619 585 
			  5-14 401 368 385 473 350 401 368 385 473 350 
			  15-44 1,355 1,154 1,323 1,216 847 1,276 1,119 1,214 1,111 762 
			  45-64 1,523 1,224 1,405 1,197 1,017 1,372 1,125 1,205 973 811 
			  65-74 1,394 1,119 1,459 1,386 1,237 1,211 994 1,225 1,088 930 
			  75-84 2,174 1,853 2,085 2,078 1,746 1,737 1,571 1,663 1,557 1,258 
			  85-120 1,594 1,473 1,502 1,290 1,088 1,202 1,227 1,180 958 747 
			  Age not known 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 
			 Ealing Hospital NHS Trust RC3 0-4 524 536 564 570 5,17 524 531 564 569 514 
			  5-14 348 276 352 407 2,55 346 275 352 407 255 
			  15-44 1,859 1,646 1,459 1,446 1,241 1,635 1,456 1,337 1,347 1,169 
			  45-64 1,603 1,384 1,179 1,018 976 1,208 1,088 1,028 881 871 
			  65-74 1,454 1,198 929 962 809 1,017 869 768 809 697 
			  75-84 1,650 1,444 1,147 1,040 984 1,088 928 887 881 621 
			  85-120 910 722 654 579 494 521 417 519 478 422 
			  Age not known 3 2 0 1 1 2 1 0 1 1 
			 
			 The Hillingdon Hospital NHS Trust RAS 0-4 344 277 293 275 246 344 276 284 275 244 
			  5-14 174 161 160 104 87 173 158 155 104 87 
			  15-44 1,487 1,005 954 674 599 1,386 905 868 565 553 
			  45-64 1,440 1,308 1,096 849 634 1,298 1,148 945 686 563 
			  65-74 1,234 1,129 1,002 848 673 1,058 984 849 639 572 
			  75-84 1,563 1,457 1,411 1,314 883 1,233 1,154 1,097 935 746 
			  85-120 1,055 882 973 803 568 777 613 709 523 470 
			  Age not known 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 
			 
			 Richmond and Twickenham PCT SM6 0-4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			  5-14 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			  15-44 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			  45-64 0 0 * * 0 0 0 * * 0 
			  65-74 0 * * * * * * * * * 
			  75-84 0 * 24 25 * * * 24 25 * 
			  85-120 0 10 46 28 31 10 10 46 28 31 
			  Age not known 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 
			 West Middlesex University Hospital NHS Trust RFW 0-4 582 386 568 566 481 581 386 568 565 481 
			  5-14 346 185 343 312 315 344 184 341 311 315 
			  15-44 1,763 720 1,446 903 705 1,382 529 1,105 732 684 
			  45-64 1,612 666 1,447 873 623 954 384 906 612 547 
			  65-74 1,459 700 1,321 902 568 704 373 685 567 467 
			  75-84 1,888 833 1,833 1,174 705 850 411 890 674 572 
			  85-120 1,412 603 1,112 760 506 593 265 506 408 388 
			  Age not known 49 29 25 12 0 28 16 11 4 0 
			  Notes:  Ungrossed data Figures have not been adjusted for shortfalls in data (ie the data are ungrossed).  Finished Consultant Episode (FCE) A finished consultant episode (FCE) is defined as a continuous period of admitted patient care under one consultant within one healthcare provider. FCEs are counted against the year in which they end. Please note that the figures do not represent the number of different patients, as a person may have more than one episode of care within the same stay in hospital or in different stays in the same year.  Finished admission episodes A finished admission episode is the first period of inpatient care under one consultant within one healthcare provider. Finished admission episodes are counted against the year in which the admission episode finishes. Please note that admissions do not represent the number of inpatients, as a person may have more than one admission within the year.  Number of episodes in which the patient had a (named) primary or secondary diagnosis These figures represent the number of episodes where the diagnosis was recorded in any of the 20 (14 from 2002-03 to 2006-07 and 7 prior to 2002-03) primary and secondary diagnosis fields in a Hospital Episode Statistics (HES) record. Each episode is only counted once in each count, even if the diagnosis is recorded in more than one diagnosis field of the record. (1 )The following ICD-10 codes have been used: J00-J99'Diseases of the respiratory disease'. Please see the following table for J00-J99 sheet for ICD-code descriptions.  Data quality HES are compiled from data sent by more than 300 National Health Service trusts and primary care trusts (PCTs) in England. Data are also received from a number of independent sector organisations for activity commissioned by the English NHS. The NHS Information Centre for health and social care liaises closely with these organisations to encourage submission of complete and valid data and seeks to minimise inaccuracies and the effect of missing and invalid data via HES processes. While this brings about improvement over time, some shortcomings remain.  Assessing growth through time HES figures are available from 1989-90 onwards. The quality and coverage of the data have improved over time. These improvements in information submitted by the NHS have been particularly marked in the earlier years and need to be borne in mind when analysing time series. Some of the increase in figures for later years (particularly 2006-07 onwards) may be due to the improvement in the coverage of independent sector activity. Changes in NHS practice also need to be borne in mind when analysing time series. For example, a number of procedures may now be undertaken in outpatient settings and may no longer be accounted for in the HES data. This may account for any reductions in activity over time.  Small numbers To protect patient confidentiality, figures between 1 and 5 have been suppressed and replaced with * (an asterisk). Where it was possible to identify numbers from the total due to a single suppressed number in a row or column, an additional number (the next smallest) has been suppressed.  Source: Hospital Episode Statistics HES. The NHS Information Centre for health and social care. 
		
	
	
		
			  Diseases of the respiratory system 
			  Diagnosis code  Primary description 
			 J00 Acute nasopharyngitis (common cold) 
			 J01 Acute sinusitis 
			 J02 Acute pharyngitis 
			 J03 Acute tonsillitis 
			 J04 Acute laryngitis and tracheitis 
			 J05 Acute obstructive laryngitis (croup) and epiglottitis 
			 J06 Acute upper respiratory infections of multiple and unspecified sites 
			 J10 Influenza due to identified influenza virus 
			 J11 Influenzavirus not identified 
			 J12 Viral pneumonia, not elsewhere classified 
			 J13 Pneumonia due to Streptococcus pneumoniae 
			 J14 Pneumonia due to Haemophilus influenzae 
			 J15 Bacterial pneumonianot elsewhere classified 
			 J16 Pneumonia due to other infectious organisms NEC 
			 J17 Pneumonia in diseases classified elsewhere 
			 J18 Pneumoniaorganism unspecified 
			 J20 Acute bronchitis 
			 J21 Acute bronchiolitis 
			 J22 Unspecified acute lower respiratory infection 
			 J30 Vasomotor and allergic rhinitis 
			 J31 Chronic rhinitisnasopharyngitis and pharyngitis 
			 J32 Chronic sinusitis 
			 J33 Nasal polyp 
			 J34 Other disorders of nose and nasal sinuses 
			 J35 Chronic diseases of tonsils and adenoids 
			 J36 Peritonsillar abscess 
			 J37 Chronic laryngitis and laryngotracheitis 
			 J38 Diseases of vocal cords and larynxnot elsewhere class 
			 J39 Other diseases of upper respiratory tract 
			 J40 Bronchitisnot specified as acute or chronic 
			 J41 Simple and mucopurulent chronic bronchitis 
			 J42 Unspecified chronic bronchitis 
			 J43 Emphysema 
			 J44 Other chronic obstructive pulmonary disease 
			 J45 Asthma 
			 J46 Status asthmaticus 
			 J47 Bronchiectasis 
			 J60 Coalworker's pneumoconiosis 
			 J61 Pneumoconiosis due to asbestos and other mineral fibres 
			 J62 Pneumoconiosis due to dust containing silica 
			 J63 Pneumoconiosis due to other inorganic dusts 
			 J64 Unspecified pneumoconiosis 
			 J65 Pneumoconiosis associated with tuberculosis 
			 J66 Airway disease due to specific organic dust 
			 J67 Hypersensitivity pneumonitis due to organic dust 
			 J68 Respiratory cond's due to inhalation of chemicals, gases, fumes and vapours 
			 J69 Pneumonitis due to solids and liquids 
			 J70 Respiratory conditions due to other external agents 
			 J80 Adult respiratory distress syndrome 
			 J81 Pulmonary oedema 
			 J82 Pulmonary eosinophilia, not elsewhere classified 
			 J84 Other interstitial pulmonary diseases 
			 J85 Abscess of lung and mediastinum 
			 J86 Pyothorax 
			 J90 Pleural effusionnot elsewhere classified 
			 J91 Pleural effusion in conditions classified elsewhere 
			 J92 Pleural plaque 
			 J93 Pneumothorax 
			 J94 Other pleural conditions 
			 J95 Postprocedural respiratory disorders NEC 
			 J96 Respiratory failurenot elsewhere classified 
			 J98 Other respiratory disorders 
			 J99 Respiratory disorders in diseases classified elsewhere

Schizophrenia

Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what proportion of mental health NHS provider organisations are implementing the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence clinical guideline update for Schizophrenia;
	(2)  what steps he is taking to  (a) publicise and  (b) implement the recommendations of the updated National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence clinical guideline update for schizophrenia;
	(3)  what  (a) support and  (b) guidance has been made available to healthcare professionals to facilitate adherence to the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence clinical guideline update on schizophrenia; and whether he has put in place ongoing monitoring to assess the implementation of the guidance by healthcare professionals.

Phil Hope: We welcome the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence's (NICEs) updated guidance on schizophrenia and expect it to help further improve the quality of treatment and care for people with schizophrenia.
	It is for NICE to publicise the release of its guidance to the national health service and it is for the NHS to implement it. NICE publishes implementation tools to help the NHS implement its guidance locally.
	Clinicians are responsible for deciding on the most appropriate form of treatment for their patients, and in doing so they are expected to take NICE guidance fully into account. The Department does not become involved in clinical decisions, nor does it collect data on implementation levels of this NICE guidance among NHS organisations.
	NICE issues both technology appraisals (TAs) and clinical guidelines (CGs) and the schizophrenia guidance issued this March is a CG. Clinicians are expected to consider treatments outlined in CGs when considering prescribing options, but are not obliged to prescribe these. As CGs are very broad in approach and can contain 100 or more recommendations, health bodies should implement the guidance as and when resources permit.

Smoking: Greater Manchester

David Crausby: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people in  (a) Bolton and  (b) Greater Manchester have received assistance from the NHS to stop smoking in each of the last five years.

Gillian Merron: The information is not available in the format requested. The following table shows the number of people setting a quit date and the number of those who successfully quit smoking through national health service stop smoking services in the Bolton primary care trust (PCT) and Greater Manchester, 2004-05 to 2008-09.
	
		
			   Bolton PCT( 1)  Greater Manchester strategic health authority (SHA)( 2'3) 
			  2004-05   
			 Number setting a quit date(3) 2,336 39,131 
			 Number of successful quitters(4) 1,749 18,973 
			  2005-06   
			 Number setting a quit date(3) 3,846 45,282 
			 Number of successful quitters(4) 2,158 21,383 
			  2006-07   
			 Number setting a quit date(3) 4,742 44,177 
			 Number of successful quitters(4) 2,206 21,174 
			  2007-08   
			 Number setting a quit date(3) 5,724 52,405 
			 Number of successful quitters(4) 2,320 22,838 
			  2008-09   
			 Number setting a quit date(3) 3,934 49,100 
			 Number of successful quitters(4) 1,718 20,153 
			 (1) Bolton PCT was unaffected by the PCT restructuring which took place in October 2006. (2) Figures for Greater Manchester SHA were calculated using the constituent PCTs for 2004-05 to 2006-07. Although this SHA did not exist in subsequent years as a result of restructuring, the new PCTs which the constituent old PCTs mapped to have been identified in order to produce figures on the same basis for comparability in 2007-08. (3) This data is based on figures collected through the quarterly stop smoking services data collection return. If a person sets more than one quit data in the quarter, the details of each attempt should be recorded on the form. (4) A client is counted as having successfully quit smoking at the four week follow-up if he/she has not smoked at all since two weeks after the quit date.  Notes: 1. The figures provided for 2004-05, 2005-06 and 2006-07 have been extracted from the corresponding annual Statistics on NHS stop smoking services in England report for each of these years. These publications have already been placed in the Library. 2. Bolton PCT figures provided for 2007-08 and 2008-09 have been extracted from the corresponding annual Statistics on NHS stop smoking services in England report for each of these years. Greater Manchester SHA figures were not published in these later reports(2). These publications have already been placed in the Library. 3. On the basis that the clinical viewpoint tends to be that a client should not be counted as a 'failure' if he/she has smoked in the difficult first days after the quit date, a client is counted as having successfully quit smoking if he/she has not smoked at all since two weeks after the quit date. The four week follow-up (and Carbon Monoxide (CO) validation, if appropriate) must be completed within six weeks of the quit date. Persons not contacted within this time are treated as lost to follow-up for evaluation purposes. 4. Only people who set a quit date through the NHS stop smoking services are included in the quarterly monitoring returns, those who attend the service but do not set a quit date are not included. 5. NHS stop smoking services data are based on the PCTs which provide the service. People using their services are not necessarily resident in that PCT. 6. The information centre for health and social care collects data from the NHS stop smoking services as part of the NHS stop smoking services quarterly monitoring returns forms, undertaken since 2005 on behalf of the Department.  Source: The Information Centre for health and social care

Social Services

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he is taking to increase provision of social care support in  (a) England and  (b) Coventry.

Phil Hope: The direction of travel for adult social care is set out in Putting People First, the shared vision and commitment to the transformation of adult social care, published in December 2007. It is confirmed in the Green Paper, Shaping the Future of Care Together, which was published in July this year.
	Putting People First commits to significant change by April 2011. It confirms that reform of social care can only be delivered through partnership across central and local government. It is holistic in its approach to delivering social care services for all individuals in the community, not just those eligible for statutory support.
	Putting People First clearly sets out a vision of a universal offer to the entire community, including social care service users. Not only will this increase the provision of social care support, but the strategic shift towards prevention and early intervention services is designed to provide more help to people with lower level care needs, to reduce the likelihood that they will need more intensive services in the longer term and to help them retain their independence.
	By the end of 2009-10, this Government will have increased local government funding by 45 per cent. in real terms since 1997. These are unprecedented rises in funding to local councils and provide the resources they need to improve the provision of care and support for their populations.
	The Department is investing circa 3.5 billion over this comprehensive spending review period to support improvements in the provision of social care. In particular, the social care reform grant will provide over 500 million for the reform and transformation of adult social care. In 2009-10, Coventry will receive approximately 8 million of revenue and capital grants from Department to help support this agenda.
	For the longer term, the Green Paper, Shaping the Future of Care Together, together with the public consultation, The Big Care Debate, which will run until 13 November, is addressing the national and local challenges we face in providing care and support in the future.

Social Services

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps the Government are taking to ensure consistent levels of provision of social care support across the country.

Phil Hope: The fairer access to care services (FACS) has just been revised and is out for consultation until 6 October 2009.
	The Commission for Social Care Inspectorate's (CSCI) state of social care report 2006-07 identified a trend for councils to raise their eligibility thresholds and the potential implications for people seeking support. In the light of recommendations made by CSCI in their report Cutting the Cake Fairly: CSCI review of eligibility criteria for social care (October 2008), the Government worked with stakeholders to revise the FACS guidance. The revision of the FACS guidance is aimed at bringing about improvements to the system as it currently stands, making implementation fairer and more consistent for people seeking support and reinforcing the current direction of policy established by Putting People First, a copy of which has already been placed in the Library.
	The Fairer Contribution Guidance was also published on 14 July 2009 to accompany the existing Fairer Charging guidance. Copies have been placed in the Library. This provides councils with a model to help them decide how much (if anything) a person should contribute to their personal budget. Councils will be expected to implement the Fairer Contributions Guidance by March 2010.

Social Services

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what guidance his Department provides to local authorities on application of criteria of  (a) substantial and  (b) critical needs in decisions on eligibility for adult social care services; what powers local authorities have to limit provision of such services to people with those categories of need; and if he will make a statement.

Phil Hope: The Fairer Access to Care Services (FACS) guidance (June 2003), a copy of which has already been placed in the Library, sets a framework to help local authorities identify those people who are eligible for social care services. The FACS guidance sets out four eligibility bands of criteria (Critical, Substantial, Moderate and Low).
	The Commission for Social Care Inspectorate's (CSCI) State of Social Care report 2006-07 identified a trend for councils to raise their eligibility thresholds and the potential implications for people seeking support. In the light of recommendations made by CSCI in their report Cutting the Cake Fairly: CSCI review of eligibility criteria for social care (October 2008), the Government have been working with stakeholders to revise the FACS guidance and this is out for consultation until 6 October 2009.
	The revision of the FACS guidance is aimed at bringing about improvements to the system as it currently stands, making implementation fairer and more consistent for people seeking support and reinforcing the current direction of policy established by Putting People First, a copy of which has already been placed in the Library.
	The Fairer Contribution Guidance was published on 14 July 2009 to accompany the existing Fairer Charging guidance. Copies have been placed in the Library. This provides councils with a model to help them decide how much (if anything) a person should contribute to their personal budget. Councils will be expected to implement the Fairer Contributions Guidance by March 2010.
	Local authorities must ensure that everyone who is eligible for social care has their needs met.

Social Services

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many packages of care were provided by local authorities to clients with  (a) physical disability and  (b) rheumatoid arthritis in the latest year for which figures are available; and at what (i) gross and (ii) net cost.

Phil Hope: Central data collated in 2007-08, show that the number of adults (aged 18 and over) with a physical disability or sensory impairment and receiving care services was 221,000 adults (aged 18-64) and 1.045 million adults (aged 65 and over).
	The gross current expenditure on adults aged 18-64 with a physical disability or sensory impairment was 1.48 billion in 2007-08, and the net current expenditure on adults aged 18-64 with a physical disability or sensory impairment was 1.39 billion in 2007-08.
	Data are not collected centrally on the gross and net costs of adults aged 65 and over with a physical disability or individually broken down to show packages of care for rheumatoid arthritis and the associated costs.

Social Services

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when in 2010 he plans to publish a White Paper on social care.

Phil Hope: The care and support Green Paper, 'Shaping the Future of Care Together', announced that the Government will publish a White Paper in 2010. The consultation on the Green Paper will run until 13 November 2009 and we will make further announcements about the timing of the White Paper in due course.

Social Services

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health during which month in 2010 he expects his Department's White Paper on care and support to be published.

Phil Hope: The care and support Green Paper, 'Shaping the Future of Care Together', announced that the Government will publish a White Paper in 2010. The consultation on the Green Paper will run until 13 November 2009 and we will make further announcements about the timing of the White Paper in due course.

Social Services

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether his Department has produced an impact assessment for the proposal in the Green Paper, Shaping the future of care together, to use attendance allowance to help to fund social care; what estimate he has made of the number of people who will receive social care under such arrangements in the next 12 months; and which categories of people will be prioritised under these arrangements.

Phil Hope: The Department published a regulatory impact assessment alongside the Green Paper Shaping the Future of Care Together which sets out the estimated costs and implications of the funding models discussed. The impact assessment is available online at:
	http://careandsupport.direct.gov.uk/greenpaper/the-green-paper-and-supporting-documents/
	A copy has been placed in the Library.
	Due to the wide range of reforms proposed within the Green Paper, full introduction of a new care and support system will be around 2014 at the earliest.

Social Services

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much he expects his proposals for the creation of a National Care Service to cost; which organisations he expects to comprise the service; what assessment he has made of the likely effects of his proposals on  (a) existing (i) NHS and (ii) social care budgets and  (b) existing local authority provision of social care.

Phil Hope: We believe that reform of the care and support system is necessary in order to make the long term care costs sustainable for the State and the individual. The Impact Assessment for the Green Paper 'Shaping the Future of Care Together' suggested that a National Care Service could cost the State between 18.2 billion and 20.7 billion in 2014, depending on the funding model chosen. These are illustrative comparative costs suggesting the possible cost to the state of the different models. These are indicative only and could be subject to change. Costs would be met from within the public spending envelope set for future spending reviews, which will be in line with the plans for fiscal consolidation set out at Budget 2009.
	Local authorities are key to the delivery of our vision for the future. This Green Paper underlines the important, continued and strengthened role they will play under reform, in any future funding system. But we also know that one of the most common problems with care and support is an apparent lack of connection between different services, particularly health, social care, housing and benefits. So a central plank of a National Care Service will be a coherent strategy centred on patients, care-users and their carers, to support local leaders to make sure that joined-up services are delivered.

Streptococcus: Pregnancy

Parmjit Dhanda: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what guidance his Department provides to health professionals on implementation in maternity units of the guidelines issued by the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists for preventing Group B streptococcus infection in newborn babies;
	(2)  if he will take steps to ensure that pregnant women are informed about Group B streptococcus as part of their antenatal care.

Ann Keen: Current guidance for obstetricians, midwives and neonatologists is provided by the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG) which published its Green-top guideline No. 36 on the prevention of early-onset neonatal group B streptococcus disease in November 2003. In 2005, the RCOG, in collaboration with the National Screening Committee, established a national audit to evaluate practice in United Kingdom obstetric units against the recommendations of the guideline. The audit published in January 2007, reported that current practice followed the established patterns of care described in the RCOG guideline.
	The Department supports the Maternity Standards published by the RCOG in 2008, which state that maternity services should comply with evidence-based guidelines for the provision of high-quality clinical care.
	Information for women on group B streptococcus is contained in the Pregnancy book a guide to health pregnancy, labour and giving birth, life with your new baby, which is given to all pregnant women during their antenatal care. A copy has already been placed in the Library. Information is also available on NHS Direct and NHS Choices website. Women who are concerned are advised to talk to their doctor or midwife.

Swine Flu

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent discussions he has had with representatives of  (a) primary care trusts and  (b) hospitals on their preparations for a swine influenza outbreak.

Gillian Merron: The Secretary of State for Health meets regularly with the NHS chief executive and the NHS flu resilience director, who are responsible for ensuring the national health service is prepared for a swine flu outbreak.
	On 2 July, the national director for NHS flu resilience, Ian Dalton, wrote to all NHS chief executives to make clear the expectation that preparedness plans need to be reviewed and subjected to further testing.
	To further support local planning, on 10 September, a strategy for critical care services was published that sets out how ventilated critical care capacity can be increased in the NHS during the peak weeks of a potential second wave of swine flu. The published full critical care strategy sets out how the NHS will collectively achieve this increase. A copy has been placed in the Library.
	On 10 September, the national director for pandemic influenza preparedness, Lindsey Davies, also hosted a pandemic flu conference on the theme of Looking back, moving forward. The conference, attended by 375 delegates, was open to strategic health authorities, primary care trusts and local authority representatives with health and social care responsibilities. The focus of the day was on the swine flu response to date, delivering the swine flu vaccination programme, the challenges that lie ahead and sharing best practice.

Swine Flu

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many calls the swine flu information line had received on the latest date for which figures are available; and how much his Department has spent on that service.

Gillian Merron: As of 5 pm 25 September 2009, around 1.3 million calls to the Information Line were received.
	Up to 30 September, the Department has spent around 230,000 on the provision of the service.

Swine Flu

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much his Department had spent on the provision of information on swine flu; and how much further expenditure on such provision he has planned.

Gillian Merron: Communicating accurate and timely information to the general public and health care professionals during the current swine flu pandemic has been recognised as a priority by the Department and by the World Health Organisation.
	We have communicated regularly via a range of channels including advertising, online information, technical and professional guidance and media briefing, including by Ministers, senior officials and clinicians.
	Because of this, it is not possible to quantify accurately the cost of all this activity in producing information on swine flu, however we are able to give a figure for public advertising activity.
	The cost of advertising and publicity activity in England on swine influenza, including the Swine Flu Information Phone Line, is approximately 8.2 million to date.
	This may increase over the course of the pandemic. Various scenarios are being considered to allow a flexible response if swine flu escalates to ensure that the public have timely and accurate information about the disease, how to protect against it, and how to access treatment if they catch it.

Swine Flu

Anne Milton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans his Department has to provide vaccinations against swine influenza to homebound patients.

Ann Keen: The Department has asked primary care trusts and strategic health authorities to work with local national health service stakeholders to develop local plans to ensure that all of those identified in the Chief Medical Officer's list of high priority groups receive their swine flu vaccinations. These plans should include provision for housebound patients.
	The Department will be supporting this work by providing core materials about swine flu vaccination for staff training and communications with the public and NHS staff.

Syringes: Injuries

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what estimate he has made of the number of NHS staff who have contracted  (a) HIV/AIDS and  (b) hepatitis C through a needlestick injury in each of the last five years;
	(2)  how many needlestick injuries have been recorded in each hospital trust in each of the last five years.

Gillian Merron: Information on the number of needlestick injuries to national health service staff in each hospital trust is not collected centrally.
	However, the Health Protection Agency (HPA) collects information on significant occupational exposures to blood-borne viruses in health care workers in the United Kingdom. The HPA's latest report Eye of the Needle, United Kingdom Surveillance of Significant Occupational Exposures to Blood Borne Viruses in Healthcare Workers, November 2008 has been placed in the Library and is available on the HPA's website at:
	www.camr.org.uk/web/HPAwebFile/HPAweb-C/1205394781623
	This report, which provides data up to the end of 2007, includes information on the number of documented cases of health care workers who have contracted HIV/AIDS and hepatitis C through a needlestick injury in 2004-07, which are summarised in the following table.
	
		
			  Number of documented cases of health care workers who have contracted HIV and hepatitis C through a needlestick injury in the UK, 2004-07 
			  Infection  2004  2005  2006  2007 
			 HIV 0 0 0 0 
			 Hepatitis C 1 2 2 2

Tamiflu

John Redwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what the average shelf-life is of the Tamiflu the Government have in stock;
	(2)  what procedures the NHS has in place to ensure the use of the oldest stock of Tamiflu first.

Gillian Merron: The existing pandemic stockpile of Tamiflu was purchased in instalments between the autumn of 2006 and 2007 (totalling some 15 million treatment courses) and in spring 2009 (eight million treatment courses). This makes determining the average life of the stockpile difficult. All of this stock has a shelf life of five years so is currently well within its expiry date. However, following a decision of the European medicines regulator (the EMEA), stock produced after June 2009 will have a shelf life of seven years. We are currently discussing with Roche and with the medicines regulator both the implications of this decision and the possible extension of the shelf life of stock we hold.
	A small amount of Tamiflu that we are making use of but that was not procured for pandemic flu planning will expire later in 2009. We expect that most of this stock will now have been used.
	Stock currently held by the national health service for treatment of swine flu at antiviral collection points (ACPs) is used in accordance with guidance provided on stock rotation.
	All ACPs have pharmaceutical oversight provided by senior primary care trust pharmacists, who ensure there are safe systems and processes in place for the safe management and supply of antiviral medicines.
	Stock held in stockpile warehouses is managed by professional inventory and stock managers, and in accordance with standard inventory management practice on a first in, first out basis.

Treatment Centres

Michael Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent estimate he has made of the costs likely to be incurred by his Department in relation to its contractual obligations under phase one of the independent sector treatment centre programme after the expiry of phase one contracts.

Mike O'Brien: The total potential expiry cost (including residual value) for wave one independent sector treatment centres is approximately 200 million.